When Two Worlds Collide (Rewritten)
by Ritska
Summary: This takes place after the Cell games. Follow Goku as he continues his adventures in other world, and follow Gohan as he continues his adventures on Earth. Find out how the two worlds collide in this epic (rewritten) story. Planning to go all the way through the Buu saga, but I am planning to change some things. (Rating may go up as story progresses). (Enjoy!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my rewritten version of When Two Worlds Collide. I honestly think this is sooooooo much better, and I hope you think so too. I've got all my ideas in order and I can't wait until I start writing the next chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please tell me what you think by leaving a comment/review. Thanks!**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Gone**

The young blonde haired boy stared into the depths of the magenta-eyed being as he tried his last attempt at saving the world from the evil monster.

"Dad!" The young boy shouts to the heavens. "I don't know if I can do it!"

 **"Gohan, son,"** His father starts, trying to give him encouraging words, **"You have the power to finish this. Quit doubting yourself. I don't know why you got it in your head that there's something wrong with you, 'cause there's not. Do it now son! Give it everything you've got! Save the Earth!"**

Gohan looks at the green monster, known as Cell, who had been terrorizing the planet for weeks. It was time that the Earth, and the people on it, get some peace.

"I can feel you slipping!" Cell yelled to Gohan.

 _'Dad's right! I **can** do this. I have to give it everything I've got.' _Gohan narrows his turquoise eyes with new determination as he reaches deep inside himself for his great power. Cell becomes distracted by one of Vegeta's blasts.

 **"Now's your chance! Do it!"**

Once he finds the power deep within himself, he yells, releasing it all at once onto the monstrosity; Cell. Cell can't keep up with that kind of power, and soon enough, he can't even keep up with surviving. His body starts to corrode and disintegrates, while he babbles incoherently. He finally disappears and the battle was finally won; the Earth was safe, and, more importantly, Cell was gone...forever...for good this time.

Gohan falls out of super saiyin state and plummets to the rocks below. Panting, he smiles. He did it; he saved the Earth. Him, a little 11-year old boy saved the Earth. He was proud of himself, but that was nothing compared to the smile on his dads face and his ever lasting pride and trust he had in his son. As soon as the smile appeared on his fathers face, it left just as quickly because he knew what that meant; his decision was final.

Piccolo flies over to Gohan, his student as well as his first, and very best, friend, and smiles down at him. Gohan smiles right back. "You did it, kid, good job; I'm proud of you, and I know your father is too."

"Thank you...Piccolo." Gohan pants. He knew that if he didn't get enough oxygen soon, he was going to pass out.

Seconds after that the rest of the Z-Gang had crowded around the young boy; all except one. They all were smiling down at their young hero. Yamcha picks the kid up and carries him bridal style in his arms.

"For a minute there you had us all worried." Tien said jokingly.

"S-...Sorry." Gohan says; he then passes out.

"Well, we know for sure now that he's definitely Goku's kid." Tien said sarcastically.

"Ain't that the truth." Yamcha says.

"Like we didn't know before?" Krillin says while smiling.

"We should get all of them to the lookout to be healed. I know Dende has all the dragon balls ready for us." Piccolo states.

"Good idea. You want me to carry him Yamcha? You do have a broken arm after all." Tien asked.

"Nah. It's fine. Compared to Gohan I look like I was scratched by a cat. I've got him." He replied.

"I'll get Trunks." Piccolo states.

"And I'll get Android 18." Krillin says as he turns around.

Most of the group gives him a questioning glance. Vegeta on the other hand is outraged.

"No! We must destroy that metal freak before she causes anymore problems for us!" Vegeta yelled.

"But why? She didn't technically do anything wrong. She was just following her brother. Without him, she won't harm anyone." Krillin argues.

"Tch. Fine whatever, but don't expect me to help you if she goes all assassin on you again." Vegeta states as he crosses his arms over his chest and turns his back toward them. Krillin lets himself have a small victory smile.

"Alright, I guess we better go then." Tien states.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." Piccolo states.

"You sure?" Krillin asked. Piccolo nods. "Okay then. Lets get these guys to the lookout."

After the others fly away Piccolo stands in the same spot, not moving an inch. He just stares at Vegeta, trying to get his thoughts into coherent sentences.

"What do you want Namekian?" Vegeta finally asked after a long period of silence.

"What you did was very brave; jumping in like that, even though you knew you wouldn't help much. You were being selfless."

"No, I was only doing what I knew would benefit _me_. I can't very well live on a planet that's destroyed." Vegeta retorts.

"Hm...right. And the whole time you _weren't_ thinking about your family?" Piccolo asked. He was met with silence. "I saw your face when Cell killed Trunks. You attacked Cell head on, even though you knew you would never win." Silence was retained once again. After another moment, Piccolo states, "Well, congratulations. You're an official hero of Earth."

"What?" Vegeta asked shocked as he turned to face Piccolo, only to find that Piccolo had already flown off to catch up with the others.

Vegeta didn't know what to do with himself. Though he would never show it, even when no one was around, that last comment Piccolo said really struck a chord. _Was_ he really a hero of Earth? He didn't know how to feel. He was confused, but intrigued...happy and...what was that feeling...did he feel...at _peace_? Was he really _happy_ and at _peace_? No...but he was close.

After dissecting his own feelings, he decided he had nothing better to do and went to the lookout where, surely, everyone was already.

 **The Lookout**

Before the gang even touched the linoleum tiles of the lookout, Dende was already telling them where to lay the wounded and whisking them away so he could heal them. He started with Gohan, as he thought he was the one who needed urgent healing. Then he looked at the next person he was supposed to heal. He was surprised to see Android 18. He hesitates.

At that moment, Gohan's eyes flutter open. Dende turns to him. Gohan wasn't sure where he was, so he sat up quickly to figure it out.

"Wait! Hold on Gohan; not too quickly!" Dende said with worry lacing his voice.

Even though Dende was trying to help, he was too late and Gohan became very dizzy and disoriented. He reached out for support, a natural instinct he thought, and Dende was more than willing to give his friend help while he fully regained consciousness and awareness. Gohan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Whoa! You okay there bud?" Yamcha asked a little more than worried.

After taking another deep breath, Gohan responded with, "Yeah, I'm fine." And smiled.

Dende looks back over to 18, very weary of her.

"Uh...guys? Do you really want me to heal her?" Dende asked unsure. Even Gohan looks at her with uncertainty.

"Yes, Dende. It will be fine. If she tries to hurt anyone, I'm more than capable of handling her." Piccolo states.

"Well...okay." Dende said as he kneels down again and puts his hands over her body to begin the healing process.

After Dende was done he sat back and waited for her to wake up. Sure enough, a moment later, her eyes flutter open, just Gohan's had, and she just blinks a few times. Then, she becomes on high alert and gets into a defensive position.

"Where am I? Where's Cell?" She demanded.

"You're on the Lookout. Cell's dead." Krillin stated, taking a bold step toward her as he tried to explain.

Her eyes widen in shock. "What? Who killed him?"

"Gohan did. He killed Cell." Krillin stated.

Android 18 was baffled. " _Gohan_ killed Cell?" She asked with eyebrows raised.

"Yup."

"Amazing...but based on my data that's not possible." 18 responded.

"Well your data's wrong." Piccolo said. "You should start relying on things other than hard cold facts."

18 looks to the ground. "What do I do now?" She asked no one in particular.

"Whatever you want. You're not a slave anymore. Do whatever...makes you happy." Gohan piped in.

"Whatever makes me...happy?" She asked confused as she looked down at the boy.

"Yeah!" Gohan chirped.

"But _do_ keep in mind that if you do anything to hurt anyone on this planet, we will not hesitate to hunt you down and end your life." Piccolo states coldly as he stared at her.

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like; if you want." Dende says.

"Or, you're welcome at Kame house too." Krillin states.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked them.

"Because you haven't done anything wrong." Gohan stated, when everyone else was confused on how to answer such a question.

"What do you mean? I tried to kill your father. You don't resent me for that?" She asked the boy.

"Of course not. You didn't kill him; in fact, you didn't kill anyone. Your brother killed doctor Gero, and the next person you tried to go after was my dad, but **you** didn't actually kill anyone. I think you were just going along with it for the ride. Even when Dr. Gero was dead, you still followed someone's orders; your brothers. Now you can do whatever you want; no limitations. No one's going to tell you what to do anymore, 18. No one's going to be there making sure your in place, or following orders anymore. You finally get to make decisions for yourself. We've offered you a place to stay, but the choice is all yours now." Gohan said and then smiled at her, awaiting her response.

Most of the Z-gang was shocked to hear those kinds of words come out of Gohan's mouth, but how could they expect anything less. They watched the emotions displayed on 18's face as she went through the process of making a decision. She finally comes upon one and turns back to Gohan.

"I think I'll just find my own way, thanks." She states.

Gohan smiles. "Well, if you ever need help, or want some company, you know where to find us."

She gives a small smile of thanks as she turns to walk away. She looks at every one of the Z-fighters' faces as she walks by them, lingering on Krillin's face the longest before jumping off the edge of the lookout back toward Earth.

"Well, now that that pity party is over, can we get back to business?" Vegeta asked, surprising everyone.

"Vegeta, when did you get here?" Krillin asked.

"I've been here the whole time! Nitwit. That sounds like a question Kakarot would ask." Vegeta states.

"Speaking of Goku...hurry up! Lets get this dragon summoned." Yamcha states.

Gohan smiles. "Yeah! Come on! Lets do this already! I want my dad back!" Gohan states enthusiastically.

"Oh! I'll be right back. Let me go get them." Dende says, referring to the dragon balls.

A short time later, he returns with the dragon balls and sets them in a small circle. They soon start to pulse a brilliant orange and make noises with each pulse. The clouds grow dark, as the Earth trembles with the mighty power. Krillin steps forward, ready to summon the dragon.

"By your name I summon you! Shenron!" Krillin yells up to the skies.

The dragon balls glow a brilliant orange as a big yellow streak of light shoots out from them. In no time at all, the dragon appeared. It lowered its head to make eye contact with the humans who had awoken him.

The bright light had caught the attention of Android 18. She looked back behind her to see a giant dragon in the sky. "What is that?" She asked shocked. She can't help but get closer. Before she knew it, she had made her way back to the Lookout. She hid behind a pillar.

 **"Who dare summons me? Speak, so that I may go back to my slumber."** Shenron states.

Krillin takes another step forward. "Shenron, we wish to restore the Earth, and its people, back to the way it was before Cell started destroying it!"

 **"It shall be done!"** Shenron states as his eyes glow red.

At that moment, people who had been previously killed on Earth had been coming back to life; it was like magic. On the Lookout, Trunk's eyes fluttered open and he sat up and looked around confused. Then he saw Shenron and he looks on with interest.

 **"Your wish has been granted. Speak your second wish!"**

"Is it possible, Shenron, for you to wish back the being known as Goku?"

 **"That wish, cannot be granted. I have already wished back the being known as Goku; I cannot bring him back more than once."**

Every one looked to the ground disappointed.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Krillin said, defeated.

"Hey, wait guys! Why don't we just go to New Namek and wish him back with Porunga?" Yamcha states with optimism.

"Hey, what a great idea!" Krillin says.

 **'Don't I get a say in this?'** A voice they all know and love spoke and asked them.

"G-Goku?" Krillin asked hesitantly.

 **'Who else would it be silly?'** Goku says with a smile.

"What's the matter Goku? Why did you stop us?" Yamcha asked.

Goku's smile disappeared. **'Guys, I wanted to say that I...I don't want to be wished back. King Kai agrees.'**

"What?!" They all exclaim, surprised.

 **'Now hear me out. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I've noticed that all of our enemies that attacked Earth were after me.'**

"That's ridiculous!" Krillin shouts.

 **'Think about it guys. Freiza came to Earth looking for me. The androids were created because Dr. Gero wanted revenge for the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army, and that ultimately led to Cell wanting to destroy the Earth as well.'**

"Well, that's true but-" Tien starts, but then gets interrupted.

 **'That's why...I've made the decision to stay dead. It's the best course of action, and King Kai agrees with me. The Earth is better off without me.'**

"But the Earth needs its hero's! _All_ of its hero's!" Gohan states.

 **'Gohan, son, the Earth doesn't need me anymore. Its got perfectly capable fighters now.'**

"But that doesn't mean _we_ don't need you! Your _friends_ need you! _Mom_ needs you! _I_ need you..." Gohan trails off and looks at the tiled floor of the Lookout.

 **'The fact is Gohan, you actually don't need me anymore. You've grown into your own person who can protect the people and home that I loved. As for your mother, she'll understand Gohan. She knew that one day she would lose me.'**

"But we're not ready to lose you! Not yet! Please! Come back!" Gohan says as a last ditch effort to make his father come home as tears were brimming at corners of his eyes.

 **'My story is finished guys. It was a good run while it lasted. Live your lives to the fullest because when you get here, I want to hear all about them. Good-bye...my friends.'**

It went silent. Everyone still in shock about what had happened. They let their hero's last words sink in. Gohan had silent tears running down his cheeks as he looked back down at the tile.

"Why couldn't he have just...come back...?" Gohan whispered to himself, so quietly that Vegeta strained to hear what he had to say.

"So Goku died after all huh?" Android 18 says to herself as she sourly laughs. She looks over at Gohan. "Poor kid."

 **"Speak your second wish so that I may go back to my slumber."**

The gang looked at each other clueless, except for Gohan and Vegeta, and they all came up with nothing to wish for; except one.

"Shenron, can you please remove the bombs from the Androids' bodies?" Krillin asks.

"What?!" 18 says in quiet surprise.

 **"Hmmm...it will be difficult, but it shall be done."** Shenron's eyes glowed red one last time before he said, **"Farewell."** He disappears back into the dragon balls, and then the dragon balls fly up high into the sky and blast around the Earth; each one in a different place.

The gang stays there a moment, all completely silent, just staring at the sky. Then, Yamcha looks over to Krillin.

"Why did you wish for that man?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?" 18 quietly echos.

"Well, because the androids are still people right? So shouldn't they be able to live like normal humans as well?" Krillin asked.

"That right was taken away from them a long time ago; when Doctor Gero decided to get revenge on Goku." Piccolo states, "But they do have a second chance now. Lets just hope whatever they decide to do, it won't end up with all of us having to fight them again."

"Yeah, hopefully." Yamcha says.

"We aren't that shallow jerks! We know when we're beat! Stay off our backs!" 18 yells as she comes out from her hiding place.

"A-A-Android 18!" Krillin stutters.

18 narrows her eyes at him and says, "Oh what? Do you expect me to fall at your feet and thank you profusely? Well no thanks! Sorry, I don't kiss ass!" She looks one more time to Gohan, her eyes softening a bit, and then she flies off the edge of the Lookout again.

"Well that was...interesting." Tien states.

"Yeah. Sorry buddy, looks like 18 doesn't have a crush on you." Yamcha says.

"What?!" Krillin exclaims with a small blush creeping over his face. "Guys, I absolutely do NOT like Android 18." He states as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Tch, yeah right. Whatever."

"Well, I think it's time I head back and grab Chiaotzu. Thanks for today everyone. It was...a blast." Tien slightly waves and takes his leave. Gohan dried the last tears over his face, but kept his head down for another minute or so.

"I think I should get going too. See ya!" Yamcha says as he too leaves. Gohan puts his head up and looks around. Thankfully no one was looking at him.

He puts a smile on his face and says "I need to get home so mom doesn't get worried."

"You sure you don't want one of us to take you home and you know...break the news to ChiChi?" Krillin asks his young friend.

"Yeah. I'm sure. It'll be fine."

"Well, okay." Krillin replied hesitantly.

"Make sure you come by here every now and then." Piccolo states as he ruffles Gohan's hair. Gohan smiles at them all before flying off the edge of the Lookout.

"Do you really think he's going to be okay?" Trunks asked them.

"The boy will be fine. I lost my father to an alien overlord when I was younger than him, and look how I turned out." Vegeta says.

"Yeah...not really the best example." Piccolo states to everyone's agreement.

"We just have to hope that if he want and needs our help and comfort, that he will just ask for it." Krillin says.

 **With Gohan**

As Gohan grew closer to home, he was fearing more and more of what his mother will do once she finds out about his father. As he ran different scenarios in his head, his home was growing closer. He couldn't make a decision on how to tell his mother, but the decision was made for him as he touched down onto the green grass of the mountains in front of his home. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his mother burst through the door of their little mountain home and enveloped him in a hug.

"Oh Gohan! I was so worried about you! You aren't hurt are you?" Before waiting for his response, she started to look over his body for any bruises and cuts.

"I'm fine mom, but dad he's-"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" She states while giving him another hug. "You're sure?" She asks one last time while looking him in the eyes.

"Yes mom." He responds as he rolls his eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me young man." ChiChi scolds. "Oh, Gohan, where's your father?" She asks while looking around for him.

He froze. His body tensed and his mind went blank. He stopped thinking, he stopped moving, and, for a minute, he stopped breathing. That was it; the topic he had been dreading all afternoon. His father.

Gohan looks down to the ground and refuses to meet his mother's eyes. As he prepared to speak, tears threatened to escape his eyes once again. He clears his throat before speaking. "Mom...dad he's...he's gone...and he's not coming back."

"What? Nonsense! Where is he really Gohan? Stop hiding things from me. Where is he?" She asked in little bit of a panic.

"Mom, dad...he had to give his own life to save the Earth. That means that he's dead mom. We tried everything we could have to get him back, but he didn't want to come back...he just didn't want to come back. I-I told him that we needed him...he still didn't listen. He just-"

Chi Chi couldn't believe her ears. She wanted to cry, but her son needed her more. He was her first priority. She cascaded him in another hug and said, "Sh, Gohan, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anymore. I understand."

"No you don't!" He yells as he breaks away from her hug. "You don't understand!"

"What do you mean I don't understand? Of course I understand! I loved him too! He was my husband! You don't think I won't miss him too?!" She yells at him.

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

"Then maybe I don't understand! Please explain to me what you're talking about!"

"I'm the reason he's dead!" Gohan screams at her. Stunned into silence, she just stares at him waiting for an explanation. "I'm the reason dad's dead, mom. I didn't listen to him...and he ended up dying. It's my fault he's gone." Gohan says.

ChiChi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Gohan thought it was his fault? That didn't sound right to her. Why was he blaming himself? "Gohan, that is ridiculous!" She sighed. "Why don't you come inside and I'll make you something to eat." She said as she grabbed her son by the shoulders and gently pushed him toward their front door.

"But-" Gohan weakly protested before giving up and letting her pull him into the house.

"Why don't you go upstairs and relax in your room until I finish dinner? I won't make you study today, but don't expect me to be so lenient tomorrow." She said as she entered the kitchen.

Gohan just did as he was told and went up to his room without saying a word. He opened his door and entered his room. He stared blankly at the wall. Then he walked over to his desk, closing the door behind him as he entered, and stared at the picture of him, his father, and his mother. He was 4 years old when the picture was taken. It was taken the day he and his father had gone to Kame house. Gohan picked up the picture and tossed it into the top drawer of his desk. Gohan walked over and plopped down onto his bed. After a minute, he shifted himself so that he was staring at the top desk drawer. He stared at it until tears started to blur his vision. Then, his body started shaking with silent sobs. He buried his face into his pillow and started crying a little louder.

He should have been happy. They should have been celebrating. After all, Cell was dead...gone...forever...for good this time. Then again, now that he thought about it, so was his father. His father was dead...gone...for good this time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello people! I want to say that this did take longer than I expected to write, and hopefully you aren't all mad at me. I also realized (Lol...see what I did there...?) that in the last chapter I didn't put anything about Goku in other world! I smacked myself for being so stupid, so in this chapter I tried to put a lot of Goku in here; unfortunately it's at the end of the chapter, but the next chapter will start out in other world too, so hopefully that tickles your fancy lol. I also made this chapter into two parts because as I started writing, I began to realize that this was going to be a very long chapter if I put in everything I wanted to put in, which I guess wouldn't be bad for you, but it also would have delayed the update by a lot longer. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will be starting on the next one shortly. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Realization: Part 1**

Gohan didn't feel like doing anything after his father had died. His mother had asked him to study the day after, but didn't push him when he silently refused. Gohan alternated looking between the top drawer of his desk, the ceiling, and, occasionally, he would sleep. He didn't speak to anyone, even when they had tried to come over and cheer him up upon request of his mother. He didn't eat, he barely slept, and would occasionally get out of bed, albeit reluctantly, to use the bathroom.

It was getting to the point where his mother was looking for anything... _anything_ to get him to at least talk to her; if she could get him to get out of bed, that would be even better. Chi chi just didn't know what to do. She'd never dealt with something like this before. Her son had always been happy-go-lucky just like his father...his father...her husband... _Goku_... Oh how she missed whispering that name at night as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Oh how she wished she could just yell his name and he would come running in from outside for his next meal. She missed him so much...She sighed and sat down in a wooden chair at the kitchen table. The house reeked of chemicals, a sign that she had recently got done cleaning. Chi chi rests her chin in her hand, as her elbow rests on the table. She stared at the wall, exhausted, while she blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. She took a deep breath and sunk down onto the table, her head resting on her arms as she breathed in the toxins from the table. At that exact moment, the phone started to ring.

 _'Maybe I can just let it ring...if it's important, they'll call back.'_ Chi chi thought to herself. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as well as tucking her head deeper into her arms as the phone stops ringing. Again, a moment later, the phone rings. Her smile instantly vanishes and turns into an angry scowl. She pushed herself up off of the table and walks over to the phone which was hanging on the wall. With a grunt she picks it up, and yells, "What do you want?!"

 **"Whoa...maybe this _was_ a bad time to call..." **

Chi chi's scowl disappears, and her eyes slightly widen with realization of who was on the other line. She sighs and says, "I'm so sorry, Bulma. I'm just tired; I've been cleaning all day. I've gotta get the place all spruced up ya'know?"

 **"Oh yeah...sure. Well, I just called to let you know that I think I know a way to get Gohan up and around."**

"Really?" Chi chi says with anticipation.

 **"Yup!"** Bulma chirps.

"Well?! What is it?!" Chi chi yells with impatience.

 **"Well, I was thinking...Cell was defeated three days ago, and the whole world had already celebrated his defeat by the hands of _'the champ';_ why don't we have our own celebration? I'll get the whole group together, and you can be in charge of getting Gohan here." **

"Sure, but...how?"

 **"Don't worry...I've thought about that too. Just tell him that I asked if he could babysit Trunks for me. I know he likes to watch Trunks, and it won't be a complete lie; I do need him to watch Trunks for me...while the rest of us get the party set up."**

It was true. The only person Gohan had really interacted with was little baby Trunks; as well as his older counter part, Mirai Trunks. Gohan didn't talk to them, but he would sit up and look at them when they entered his room; sometimes he would even play a little bit with baby Trunks, and mostly just listened to what Mirai had to say. Other than that, Gohan had done nothing for the past three days. It was hope to her that her son would get up out of bed soon. Chi chi thought about this.

"Well...I mean it could work..." Chi chi said while pondering the idea. It was their only option.

 **"I've already called the rest of the gang, so we're all waiting on your signal."**

Chi chi sighs. "Well, go ahead. I'll get him up. We should be there by late afternoon. Bye-bye Bulma."

 **"Bye Chi! See ya real soon!"**

Chi chi puts the phone back on the receiver and prepares herself. She walks up the stairs and knocks on her son's door. "Gohan," She calls softly as she knocks again. "Gohan, honey, I'm coming in." She says as she opens the door. Unaware of his mother's presence, Gohan kept thinking to himself.

 _'I should get out of bed...who am I kidding? I've been telling myself that for three days...I just don't have the energy...which is ironic.'_ Gohan sighed to himself. Only now aware of his mother's presence, he turns to look at her, and he even sits up; something that he never did when she was in the room. This gave Chi chi some new found hope.

"Gohan, sweetie, will you please just talk to me?" She asked softly. Gohan exasperatingly sighs.

"About what?" He replies a little more harsh and angry than he meant. Despite his tone, Chi chi smiled.

"Well, Bulma just called," Chi chi was excited. This was the first time he had spoken to anyone in three days. "and she wanted me to tell you that she needed someone to watch Trunks for her. She said she knew how much you love-"

"No." Gohan stated bluntly, interrupting her. Her smile, her new found hope, and her heart all plummeted down into her stomach. Her shoulders slumped a bit in defeat. She stared at her son with sad eyes, furrowed brows, and a solemn look.

"What do you mean 'no'?" She asks dejectedly.

Gohan cringed. He didn't mean to make her feel so dejected and defeated, and he himself didn't even understand why he said no, but all he knew was that the moment was going to get worse.

"What do you mean what do I mean? I mean that I don't want to go." Gohan says. _'But...I do actually want to go. I want to go so badly, mom'_ Gohan thought to himself.

"But, Bulma needs someone to watch Tr-"

"I don't care that she needs a baby sitter. I'm not the one she can pawn her son on when she needs to. Tell her to watch Trunks herself." Gohan says a bit harshly as he lays back down, his back to her. "Or better yet, why doesn't she get Vegeta to do it for her?"

Chi chi couldn't believe her ears. Where was her son? Where was the boy who loved everything and everyone? Where was the boy who was willing to help anyone no matter the cost? The boy in front of her was was a far cry from the boy she remembered. This boy was cold, selfish, and cynical. He didn't care about anyone or anything anymore. Where was her little boy? Where was her Gohan? Chi chi takes a step back from Gohan. She licks her lips and takes a deep breath.

"O-Okay. I'll just leave you alone then...if you need anything...just uh...just let me know...okay?" Before waiting for his reply, she walked out of his room and closed the door behind her.

She leaned against his door and sobbed quietly into her hand. With blurred vision, she walked back down stairs to dial Bulma's number to tell her the bad news. Little did Chi chi know, her son, too, was quietly sobbing.

 _'How could I be so mean to her? She didn't deserve it. I'm so stupid. I should have just said that I would go...that's what I really wanted anyways...why was I so stupid?'_ Gohan dug his face into his pillow as he continued to cry. _'What am I doing?'_

Chi chi picked up the phone and redialed Bulma's number. As soon as the phone stopped ringing, Chi chi didn't wait for a greeting on the other side. "Bulma," Chi chi said as she sobbed into the phone, "Gohan rejected me. He was so harsh about it... I didn't deserve that did I? I'm sorry...he's just not gonna come. We can continue to have the party though if you want." Chi chi sniffles as she rubs the bottom of her nose with her index finger.

"The Hell he isn't" Replied a gruff voice on the other line. The next thing Chi chi heard was the semi-tone of the phone, a sign that the person on the other line had hung up.

 **Capsule Corps. A Few Minutes Earlier**

As soon as Bulma had gotten off the phone with Chi chi, she called all of the Z-Fighters and gave them the 'okay'. Even Piccolo was there. He was excited at the prospect of seeing his pupil out of bed. Of course, he and Vegeta didn't help with any of the work for the party; instead they opted to do what they always did. They leaned up against a wall and kept to themselves. At that moment, the phone started to ring. Piccolo peeked open one eye to look at the phone, then to Vegeta. After it rang a few more times, the Namekian grew irritated.

"Are you going to get that?" He asked Vegeta, annoyed.

"No. The woman will get it. She always does." Vegeta replied, his tone thick with stubbornness.

Piccolo sighed, frustrated at the prince, and gently pushed himself off of the wall. With his arms crossed he walked up to the phone and stared at it.

"Well, if you're going to pick it up then pick it up! Don't stand there staring at it like a moron." Vegeta states, his eyes on the Namekian.

Piccolo uncrosses his arms and picks the yellow phone up off of the receiver. "He-" Before he could even get a proper greeting out, Chi chi had started ranting. It was about Gohan. _'Figures.'_ He thinks to himself as he rolls his eyes. The last couple of sentences caught his attention though.

 **"-he's just not gonna come. We can still have the party though if you want."**

"The Hell he's not." Was all Piccolo said before he hung up, and turned around to face Vegeta.

Vegeta had a smirk across his face; he knew that the Namekian had grown frustrated with Gohan's attitude, the same could be said for the saiyan prince. "Finally done letting the brat mope around are you?" Vegeta stated as he uncrossed his arms and gently pushed himself off the wall, to face the Namek. Piccolo said nothing in return. Vegeta's smirk had grown into a scowl. "Well I for one have grown sick of it. No Saiyan worrior, half-breed or not, should be acting like this."

"You're absolutely right Vegeta. Let's go."

"What...are you going to let me knock him around?" Vegeta asked, his interests piqued.

"Perhaps...if you'd like." Piccolo replied coldly.

An evil smirk crossed Vegeta's face once again. "Well then, let's get going. Don't want to keep the brat waiting do we." Vegeta says as he chuckles evilly.

He and Piccolo walk out of the front doors of Capsule Corp. and shoot into the skies with every intention of getting Gohan out of bed.

 **The Son Home**

After Chi chi had spoken with Piccolo, she was sorely confused. _'What did he mean by his comment? Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out.'_ She shrugs it off and leans her back against the counter. She takes a deep breath, her chest hurting because of the emotional stress her son had caused. She turns around to look at the digital clock on the stove. It was already almost 11 a.m. She would have to start making lunch soon.

Gohan hadn't moved from his spot since his mother left his room. He stopped crying now, but he felt numb...completely emotionless. He stared blankly at the wall with tired eyes. _'Maybe I can sleep for a while.'_ Gohan thought as he closed his eyes. Afew seconds later, they snap open again in confusion. _'Why are Piccolo and Vegeta on their way over here? No...they can't be coming over here...it's just mere coincidence. Yeah...they're just going to find a good place to spar, and it just happens to be around here. That's it.'_ Gohan thinks to himself as he closes his eyes again.

 **Other World**

As soon as Goku had finished talking to his friends, he immediately went with King Kai to King Yemma's place. From there, he took a plane up to the Grand Kai's planet. As soon as he landed, Goku was eager to meet all of the new people. He was looking at the beautiful landscape when King Kai addressed him.

"Well, Goku, I meant to say this earlier, but you must be pretty proud of your son." King Kai says.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe. I can't even describe it in words." Goku replies with pride shinning in his eyes.

"He must be the strongest in the universe by now." King Kai boastfully says.

"Who's the strongest in the universe?" Someone in front of them asks. The two turn their attention to the two people in front of them.

One of the men was a tall green man, with a white turban, and a white hat; a black belt adorned his middle, there to help keep his turban around his torso. He reminded Goku a lot of Piccolo, except this man was about a shade darker than Piccolo. The other man was a short, pudgy man who looked a lot like King Kai; He was a Kai, Goku had assumed, except he had one eye glass covering his left eye. He adjusted his eye glass before addressing the two again.

"I say again, who's the strongest in the universe?"

Before King Kai could respond, Goku says, "Oh, we were talking about my son; he's the strongest."

The short man looked at King Kai, then back to Goku and scoffed.

"No one could be stronger than my Pikkon. _He's_ the strongest in the universe."

"Oh, shut your dirty old trap West Kai!" King Kai yells.

"Why should I? It's not like anyone can actually beat Pikkon. No one has, and no one ever will." West Kai states as he childishly sticks out his tongue to King Kai. King Kai growls in annoyance.

While the two keep bickering, Pikkon walks up to Goku. He sticks out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Goku. My name is Pikkon...as you've probably already heard." Pikkon states while rolling his eyes and directing an annoyed glare at the two bickering Kai's.

Goku smiles. "Hey, it's nice to meet you too Pikkon." Goku says as he grabs Pikkon's hand and shakes it.

They let go, and stand side by side watching the Kai's bicker a few feet away from them. By now, they were in each other's faces yelling. After a moment of watching them, Pikkon breaks the silence that had befallen between them.

"So, you were saying earlier that your son was the strongest? How do you know? There are many other people you haven't met, and probably will never meet." Pikkon states.

Goku turns to look at him. The Kai's stop bickering, also interested in Goku's answer.

"Well," Goku starts as a giant smile begins to form on his face, "I know that there are people that I might not ever meet, but I know that my son is the strongest because he _is._ He has the strongest resolve I've ever seen, the greatest stamina I've ever witnessed, the most amount of strength and speed I've ever experienced..." Goku pauses, remembering the smirk on his son's face as he made Cell tremble in fear right before Cell decided to blow himself up. "but he also has poor judgement, and lacks common sense when he becomes too cocky." Goku states. "But that's also what makes him a good fighter; a very powerful one at that. After all, no fighter is perfect. Am I right?" Goku states while elbowing Pikkon and laughing, the smile returning to his face.

"Uh...right." Pikkon states unsure of himself.

"Well...he's stronger than I am, and I'd say I'm pretty strong myself." Goku says with his infamous Son grin.

"By the way Goku," Pikkon starts, "what race is your son?" Pikkon asked curious.

"Well, he's not _a_ race per-say." Goku states cryptically. At this Pikkon raises an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Pikkon asks. At this point, the two Kai's attention remain on Goku and Pikkon; the two obviously unaware.

"Well, I'm a saiyan and his mother is a human...so he's technically _two_ races." Goku says as he scratches the back of his head.

Pikkon's eyes widen slightly.

"Wait...you said that you were a saiyan?" West Kai asks. In response, Goku nods his head. "But how? I've never heard of one so far up north. Weren't the Saiyan's in my quadrant Northie?" He asks King Kai.

"Well...if you haven't noticed by now, which I know you haven't, the Saiyan's were-"

"Wait," Pikkon says, interrupting King Kai as he gave Pikkon a scowl, "did you say that your son has _two_ bloodlines, from _two_ different races, running inside of him?"

"Well...yeah..." Goku replies, unsure of how he should respond.

"Oh no." Pikkon says with a sigh as King Kai yells it in horror.

"What? Why is that a bad thing?" Goku asks.

"Goku!" King Kai yells.

"What?!" Goku exclaims, surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me your son was a hybrid?!" King Kai yells.

"Well, I thought you knew King Kai. I'm sorry." Goku apologized rubbing the back of his head and looking to the ground, shame evident on his face.

"Goku, what race did you say you were? Saiyan right?" Pikkon asks. Goku nods his head in response.

"What's so bad about this 'hybrid' business?" Goku asked.

"Goku, do you even know what a hybrid is?" King Kai asked him. Goku chuckled nervously while shaking his head.

"A hybrid is someone who is born to parents of different species. The baby inherits both the very good, and very bad traits of both races; though some of those traits might not be apparent now, they will be at some point in that individual's life." Someone right next to Goku says.

The four of them turn around to get a better look at the person. The two Kai's eyes widen in shock and instantly get on the ground, while Pikkon doesn't react, but does kneels before the person, and Goku just stands there confused as he innocently scratches his cheek. Goku looks down to King Kai.

"Uh...King Kai? Who is this guy?" Goku asked pointing his thumb at the stranger.

"Goku!" King Kai harshly whispers. "That man is the Grand Kai! Show a little respect; get down on your knees!"

"Oh...uh...okay." Goku says unsure about his sensei's actions.

"No, no. It's okay. All of you get up." The Grand Kai demanded.

Getting a better look at the guy, he reminded Goku of an older, rebel type, male version of Android 18. He was wearing a white t-shirt, a blue jean jacket, blue jeans, a belt with a round golden buckle, brown boots, and brown gloves, and black sunglasses. His hair was white, and a crazy length; his hair flowing all the way down to the back of his knees. His beard was equally as white and went down to measure to about the middle of his chest, parting about half way. His mustache, just as white as his hair and beard, was full, and fluffy looking, and the tips reached the bottom of his earlobe. He was also carrying a boom box on his right shoulder, supporting its weight with his right arm.

"Oh, so you're the Grand Kai? You're a lot different than what I expected you to look like." Goku says in wonder.

"Well, what did you think I looked like? Did you think I'd looked like these dopes?" Grand Kai asks as he gestures toward the two Kai's standing near him. They give him a scowl, but don't say anything.

"Well...I...hehe..." Goku says as he rubs the back of his head and chuckles nervously, not sure what to say.

Grand Kai's serious expression cracks into a smile as he bursts out laughing. "I'm just messing with you, kid. You're good. Just because I'm a deity doesn't mean that you have to treat me that way; although, I do expect your respect." He says as he waves his hand. Goku just smiled at him and nodded. "So...who's this hybrid you're all talking about?"

"Oh, we were talking about my son, sir. He's half human, and half saiyan." Goku replies.

"Hm..." Grand Kai hums as he puts his chin in his hand, setting down the boom box.

"They were making a big deal about it, but I just don't see the problem." Goku says as he scratches the top of his head.

"Well, they're making a big deal about it because hybrids can be dangerous." Grand Kai states. At this, Goku's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"But why?" Goku asks curious.

"Because, Goku, if your son is a hybrid, he will inherit both the very good and very bad aspects of both species; as I stated before. Hybrids are also considered the most powerful because of that aspect. That can be very dangerous; especially if your son is half saiyan and half human." Grand Kai says.

"Especially?" Goku says, worry lacing his voice now.

"Yes Goku." Grand Kai says. "While saiyans are ruthless and cold-blooded killers, they also hold a very strong bond to those that they care about and, do I dare say, love. That could be a devastating fact if a saiyan loses someone close to them." At this, Goku's stomach started to sink.

"Humans, on the other hand, are very intellectual and resourceful, but they're also very emotional and, sometimes, very misunderstood creatures." King Kai states.

"My son is such a happy kid though. Couldn't that change your theory?" Goku asks desperation clear in his voice, clearly wanting to deny that they might be right.

"While your son may be happy most the time, it doesn't mean that he'll be happy all the time; especially if he had lost someone he cared about dearly. In that case, he could change dramatically, and that could be very dangerous." Pikkon says.

Goku's sinking feeling only got worse as the conversation had gone on. He was going to break down into tears. _'What have I done? I can't believe I was so oblivious; I can't believe I did that to him. I should have listened to him when he told me to come home.'_

King Kai puts a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do about it now." He says as he gives Goku an apologetic look.

"Maybe not, but there is something you can do to make sure he's okay." Grand Kai says. Goku looks up at him with hopeful eyes.

"What is it?" He asks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! Finally done! It felt like this chapter took me forever to write. Does it feel that way to you guys? Awh, who am I kidding. Of course it does. Lol anyways, I'm glad this is finally done, and hopefully will be working on the next chapter when you guys are reading this. I think it is a bit longer than all of my other chapters, but good for you right? :3 Hope you enjoy the chapter! Be sure to leave your opinions in the form of reviews, or P.M. me! Either way works for me. Thank you!**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Realization: Part 2**

"What is it?" He asked. "Can you take me to my son?"

"Nope." Grand Kai says whipping away Goku's false hope. "But I _can_ give you the next best thing." He says as he snaps his fingers. "I have this _awesome_ crystal ball. I might just be willing to let you use it once in a while if you follow all the rules here. It will let you see your son whenever you want, but you can't use it all the time."

Goku nods affirmatively. "Right." Grand Kai's glance goes from Goku, to the other three, then back to Goku. As the Grand Kai gets ready to say something to them, Goku beats him to the punch. "Can I see my son right now?" He asked.

Grand Kai takes a deep breath and nods. "Sure why not. I guess it couldn't hurt...these newbies...always wanting to see their families..." Grand Kai whispers under his breath. "Follow me." He says as he leads them into his massive mansion.

They walk down a long corridor and to the last door on the left. These doors were massive, but not as massive as the door right in front of them, at the very end of the corridor. They walk through the door to their left and inside is a giant crystal ball. The rest of the room is a white cream color with a blueish grey hue. The room, too, was massive. Probably to hold the massive crystal ball, Goku had assumed. The ball was set right in the middle of the room. They walk right up to the crystal ball and stand in front of it as the Grand Kai turns to face them.

"Alright Goku, all you have to do is say 'Show me,' and they crystal ball will show you whatever your want." Grand Kai says as he gestures his hand toward the cyrstal. Goku nods and looks into the giant ball.

"Okay." Goku takes a deep breath. "Show me my son, Gohan." Goku says.

A picture blurred into the crystal ball as the occupants, except Pikkon, waited impatiently for the picture to clear up. Once it did, what they say confused Goku. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the crystal ball.

 **Gohan was on the ground next to their little mountain home with his eyes clamped shut as he had a look of discomfort on his face. He brought his right arm to touch the right side of his face, and started to massage it. Then, two shadows covered his small form; it was Piccolo and Vegeta. Vegeta stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl on his face. Piccolo opted not to cross his arms, and just stared at Gohan with no emotion. Gohan opened his eyes and gave them a scowl and grunted at them.**

 **"What the heck was that for?!" He yelled at them, still massaging his sore cheek.**

 **"Oh, so you've decided to actually say something? Isn't that just fantastic. You done throwing your hissy fit then?" Vegeta said as he smirked at the boy.**

 **"You know what that was for, Gohan." Piccolo said in a defeated tone.**

"So, your son is the one who's on the ground then I take it?" Pikkon asks.

"Yes. That's him." Goku replies with a serious look.

"Well, he takes much after his father." Pikkon said.

"Thank you." Goku responded with almost no emotion. "I just don't understand what's going on. Why are Piccolo and Vegeta hitting him. Better question, why isn't he fighting back?" Goku asked no one in particular.

"The only explanation would be...maybe he wanted something like this to happen? It's not that wild of an explanation." King Kai says unsure of himself.

"But...why?" Goku asks.

"Well if your son is in an emotional state of turmoil, he might think that he deserves it. This is what I meant by hybrids can be dangerous." Grand Kai said, addressing Goku.

"If he continues on this path, your son could endanger himself." King Kai states.

Goku looks back to the crystal ball. _'I hope he doesn't...if he does...I guess it's partly my fault huh? No...I can't dwell on something like that. He'll be fine. I know it.'_

 **The Son Home, a few minutes earlier**

Gohan had ended up falling asleep with no worries. His mother was in the kitchen preparing to make lunch when she heard a knock on the door.

"Well that's unusual." She says as she dries off her hands and hangs the towel back on the handle of the stove. "We hardly get any visitors out here. I wonder who it could be." Chi Chi says as she walks over to the door. "Coming!" She calls as she hears another knock on the door. When she opens it, her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Piccolo? Vegeta? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We've come to get Gohan. He's going to get out of bed whether he likes it or not." Piccolo states.

"But-"

"Move out of the way woman." Vegeta says as he, surprisingly, pushes her to the side gently and walks past her, Piccolo following right behind him.

"Wait!" She exclaims as she follows them.

Once they get to Gohan's room, Vegeta isn't as gentle with it as he was with Chi Chi. Vegeta kicked down the door and walked inside, followed closely by Piccolo and Chi Chi.

As soon as he heard the crash, Gohan was on high alert. He jumped out of bed and got into a defensive stance, ready to face whoever came in. He too became confused as he saw Piccolo and Vegeta. While his attention was on Piccolo, Vegeta stepped forward and grabbed Gohan by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off the ground by about an inch. Then, Vegeta got up into his face and gave him a scowl as Gohan tried to struggle to get free from his grip.

"What are you going to do?" Chi Chi yells as she runs up to him and grabs his arm. Vegeta glares at her before giving her an evil smirk, and chuckles darkly.

"The Namekian and I are going to teach him a lesson." He then turns his attention back to Gohan. "One that he won't soon forget." He says. Gohan's eyes widen a little fear.

Vegeta walks out of his room and towards the front door, again, Piccolo and Chi Chi following close behind. Once he steps outside, he throws Gohan on the ground. With a grunt, Gohan stands on his feet and glares at Vegeta. He looked over at Piccolo. It didn't look like he was gonna stop Vegeta, so he got ready to defend himself. Gohan looked back to Vegeta a little too late because as soon as he directed his attention back to the Prince, his fist was embedded into Gohan's stomach.

With eyes wide open, Gohan stumbles backward. As soon as he regained his footing, he was met with another fist to the face; this time by Piccolo. Gohan was now on the ground cradling his face with his eyes clamped shut. He opens them and gives the two of them a glare.

"What the heck was that for?!" Gohan yelled irritated.

"Oh, so you've decided to actually say something? Isn't that just fantastic. You done throwing your hissy fit then?" Vegeta said as he smirked at the boy.

"You know what that was for, Gohan." Piccolo said in a defeated tone as he shook his head slightly.

Gohan visibly cringed. Why is it that he managed to make everyone sound like that? How does he manage to make everyone sound so...disappointed? He glared at the ground, almost as if he were blaming it for his situation.

Vegeta walked up to him, standing an inch away from him, and scowled down at him. He crossed his arms and nodded his head toward Gohan as he said, "Get up, brat."

Gohan's glare did not lessen as he turned his gaze toward the saiyan prince. "Why?" Gohan said in a challenging voice. "Why should I?"

With an angry expression exploding onto his face, Vegeta picks Gohan up by his collar and yells, "Because I said so!" With Gohan's expression never faltering, Vegeta proceeded to punch Gohan in the gut to help get his point across.

Gohan, as a result of the punch, knelt over and spit up a little saliva. Vegeta then decided to kick Gohan in the face, and sent his flying backwards. Vegeta walked over to Gohan, followed by Piccolo and Chi Chi, who has been surprisingly quiet during this whole scenario. Both of them had their arms crossed as they looked back down to the boy. Then as Piccolo's eyes widen and he uncrosses his arms in realization, he looks directly at Gohan's face for a reaction.

"Gohan, is this all about your father?" Piccolo asked.

 **Other World**

Goku and Gohan stiffen at the question almost in complete unison. All eyes shift over to Goku for a second, then back to the crystal ball. As they look, they can see that Gohan's eyes are now shinning with unshed tears, as he directs a glare over to Piccolo.

 **"Of course it's about him! It's been about him this whole time!" Gohan said as his eyes are brimming with tears.**

 **"Why?" Vegeta asks thoroughly confused. "Why would you waste your time and energy on that idiot, Kakarot?"**

 **"Because, Ve-ge-ta, he's my father! How else am I supposed to take his death! If you have a better way then please, enlighten me! Because I don't feel like I have anymore options." Gohan says as the tears threaten to escape his eyes.**

 **"Well, for starters, sitting here like a sniveling moron isn't going to help anyone." Vegeta says in an annoyed voice. Gohan then glares in his direction once again. "After you're done throwing you're temper tantrum, come to the woman's house and I will show you other solutions." Vegeta said as he flew away, back to Capsule Corps.**

 **Piccolo then walked over to Gohan just as a few tears escaped his eyes. Gohan's eyes clamped shut in an effort to stop the tears from falling. He looked down at him with empathy. "Gohan, stand up." Piccolo said.**

Goku, and the other occupants of the room looked on with mild surprise and worry.

 **Earth**

"Gohan, stand up."

Without opening his eyes, or saying anything, Gohan slowly complied. His eyes open with slight confusion as he feels the Namekian's large arms wrap around his small, in comparison, torso. With confusion still in his eyes, Gohan stared expectantly at his mentor as he stood back up from his kneeling position on the grass. His mother then, finally, decided to intervene into the conversation. She walked over to him with worry and pain in her eyes. She too knelt where the Namekian once was and stared into her son's tear filled eyes. She then put her hands and his shoulders.

"Gohan," She paused, and after what felt like a very long time, she continued. "why didn't you tell anyone how you felt? I knew that you would be upset about you father, and I didn't expect you to bounce right back like normal, but I didn't think it ran this deep. Why didn't you tell someone earlier?" She asked, tears now brimming her eyes as well.

Gohan looked back to the ground, and that's when Piccolo decided to take his exit. The remaining Son's needed to work through thing themselves, while the rest of them would be here for moral support. With more tears escaping his eyes, Gohan looked back at his mother. She waited expectantly for him to answer her. He took a deep breath and looked back down to the ground before speaking again.

"I didn't tell anyone because...well, because..."

 **Other World**

Goku leaned forward in anticipation, waiting to hear his son's answer, just like everyone else in the room who were watching just as intensely at the crystal ball as Goku was.

 **"I didn't tell anyone because...well, because...I didn't think I had the right to." Gohan said as he continued to look at the ground.**

His mother's eye brows, as well as the room's occupants, furrow in confusion. "What does he mean by that?" Goku asked out of curiosity and worry.

 **"What do you mean sweetie? Of course you had the right. He's your father. You have the right to mourn and grieve." Chi Chi said as she brushed the one stubborn piece of black hair out of his face.**

 **Gohan looked back up to his mother and said, "No...you just don't understand..."**

 **With a flabbergasted look on her face, Chi Chi replies, "What do you mean I don't understand? Then explain it to me Gohan. What exactly do I not understand?" Then, the realization hit her. No wonder this conversation was ringing a bell in her mind. "Gohan, do you still think that it's your fault that your father is dead? That he's gone?"**

Goku looks on at the scene with slight horror. He turns his attention to king Kai when he's adressed.

"Didn't we tell you Goku?" King Kai stated more than asked.

"He blames himself for your death, and now look where that's gotten him. If these feelings develop, it could mean a lot of trouble, not only for him and his friends and family, but the Earth as well." Pikkon said as he turned to Goku.

Without taking his eyes off of the crystal, Grand Kai says, "Now that you've seen what we mean about the whole hybrid business, what are you going to do about it?"

Goku looks down to the bluish grey tiled floor and contemplates the Grand Kai's words. He closes his eyes as he thinks. He then looks back at the crystal with new fiery determination in his eyes.

 **Earth**

"Gohan, do you still think that it's your fault that your father is dead? That he's gone?" His mother asked.

Gohan, for the millionth time that hour looked back down to the ground. "Yes." He said very quietly.

"But," Chi Chi said while bringing his chin up so she could look him in the eye, then continued. "sweetie, there's no reason for you to feel this way." She said.

"Yes there is!" He yelled. "There's plenty of reasons why I should feel guilty about his death." Gohan said more softly.

"Why? Give me good reasons why." She said, determined to convince him to forgive himself.

"Because I..." He stopped and thought to himself momentarily before continuing. "because I didn't stop Cell when he told me to." He replied. _'And I wanted to make him suffer. No one deserves to suffer...not even someone as bad as Cell...'_ Gohan thought to himself. _'But I can't tell her that. She'd think I'm a monster...but she wouldn't be wrong...'_

"Well..." Chi Chi starts. She didn't know how to respond. What was she supposed to say to that? She sighed then continued. "Gohan, honey, it's not your fault. Your father is proud of you and you should be too. I know I'm proud of you." She says as she gives him a soft smile.

"Really?" He asks with uncertainty.

Her smile grows as she says, "Really."

Gohan looks back to the ground, doubt in his mind. _'She's only saying that because she doesn't know the kind of monster you are.'_ He tries to ignore that thought as he looks back up at her. He flashes a smile and quickly grabs her into a hug, holding onto her tightly. "Thank you mom." He says as he closes his eyes and breaths in her scent.

She leans into the hug and closes her eyes too. "You're welcome sweetie." Gohan pulls out of the hug, confusion clear on his face. Chi Chi giggles at his look as she then asks, "What is it Gohan?"

He looks at her with confusion and slight curiosity. "Mom," He starts, "your scent has changed." He said. Then again, her Ki was a bit different from last he remembered as well.

That threw the mother for a loop. Scent? What was he talking about? Her scent has changed? Not understanding his meaning, she asks, "What are you talking about Gohan?"

Then, Gohan's eyes widen, and his face pales with realization. He then looks at his mother with wide eyes and...and...something else she couldn't quite place.

"Gohan?" She asked with slight worry.

"Mom...are you...?"

"Am I what Gohan?" She asked out of confusion.

"Are you pregnant?"

 **Other World**

It was final. Goku had made his decision. He looked up at the Grand Kai, waiting for him to answer his question. The Grand Kai had his hand on his chin. They decided that they needed to move from the large room to the official office of the Grand Kai. He was rummaging through papers on his desk and came up with no clear-cut answer. He turned his attention to Goku.

"I don't really see anything against it, but I don't really see anything that condones this action either. Then again, you've done this in the past before so what's the difference now?" Grand Kai contemplated to himself. He looked back up to Goku. "Well, I don't see the harm in trying. North Kai, if you would so kindly do the honors."

"Sure thing, sir." He said as he made his way over to Goku.

"Wait, King Kai?" Goku asked, getting his mentor's attention. "Can I tweak my plan a little?" He asked.

"Uh..." King Kai looked expectantly at the Grand Kai.

"I don't see a problem with that. As long as you stay within the guidelines you provided earlier for this to work." Grand Kai replied while scratching the side of his head.

"Cool. Thanks." Goku replied.

"Goku," Pikkon started while taking a step towards Goku, "do you think this will actually work? I mean it was a slim chance at the beginning, and now it's looking a little more slim by the second." Pikkon stated. Goku flashes him a smile.

"Don't worry. I've thought of that. That's why I want to tweak my plan a little." Goku then turns his attention back to king Kai and says, "King Kai? I was wondering if it would be possible not to tell any of my friends or family yet; just on the off chance that this might not work. I don't want to get their hopes up if it won't work; especially Gohan."

"Well...Hm..."King Kai started as sweat dripped down his forehead. "I'm not exactly sure that's any better than your other plan, but I guess so." He replied.

Goku smiles and nods in thanks.

"Now wait a minute Goku." The Grand Kai states, getting his attention. "I think I agree with North Kai...to a degree. I don't think not telling your friends is a good thing. I think you should reconsider telling your friends about your plan before you start."

Goku thought on his words for a moment. Then he looked back up and replied, "I...guess...but I still don't want to tell Gohan. I don't want him to be even more upset if this doesn't work."

"But Goku-" King Kai started, but was interrupted by Goku.

"No. That's final. I don't want to tell him." Goku said determined. Pikkon looked on with sweat running down the side of his face, a physical sign of his nervousness; even he knew how catastrophic this could be to his son if it didn't work.

"Well...alright...if you say so..." King Kai said reluctantly giving in to Goku's plan.

Goku took a deep breath as he placed his hand on King Kai's back and waited for the deity to find his friends. Once he got the signal from King Kai, Goku inhaled and started in a cheery voice, "Hey guys! It's me again!"

 **Earth, Capsule Corps.**

Back at the lovely and (Ahem) quiet home of the Briefs, the gang (Minus Vegeta and Piccolo of course...for the time being.) were chatting quietly while setting up the well planned party. And who better to plan this party other than Mrs. Bulma Briefs? She had a magnificent party in mind, and, of course, she was always looking for a reason to take a break from being president and having a party. She wasn't expecting to be president of Capsule Corps. for another few years at least, but it would seem that her father, right before the Cell Games, decided that she was now best for the job. So, what was she doing now? Waiting for their guest of honor...and Vegeta and Piccolo...whenever they they decided to show up.

Speaking of the devil, (Lol) Vegeta made it a point in walking into the room at that exact moment. Bulma, who was nearest to the entrance, walked over to her husband and looked upon his frowning face. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong Vegeta?" She asked him.

He turned his gaze to her for a second, his scowl softening a bit, before looking back at the others in the room who had yet to notice him. While his eyes shifted to observe each face, he spoke, "The brat is stubborn...I'll give him that...but he will be coming; the Namek and I made sure of that much."

Bulma's expression changed from one of confusion to one of anger and slight worry. "What did you do?" She demanded.

Without turning his head to look at her, his eyes shifted falling upon her angry expression. He smirked and closed his eyes. "Oh, nothing much...I just tossed him around a bit...gave him something to be but hurt about." He replied. With his eyes still closed, he didn't see Bulma's fist rounding upon his shoulder.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR WOMAN?! THAT ACTUALLY HURT!" Vegeta yelled as he got up into her face. This little out burst caught the attention of everyone in the room, all of whom were not surprised by it.

She glared deadly back at him, and started to speak eerily soft. "Because Vegeta...you shouldn't have DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT **TO A CHILD!** " Bulma yelled back.

Vegeta, surprisingly backed down. That's when Piccolo entered the room. He looked over to Vegeta, who had crossed his arm and had an expression on his face that very much resembled a pout. Piccolo smirked as chuckled. Vegeta's face was now gaining a slight pink hue.

"What are you laughing at Namekian! Wipe that smug smirk off of your face...NOW!" Vegeta yelled in embarrassment and rage.

Right as Piccolo was about to open his mouth to say something, another voice interrupted him. Everyone became surprised at the voice.

 **"Wow, Vegeta...I haven't ever seen your face ever turn that pink. What happened? Is Bulma pregnant again already?"** Goku asked in mock innocence.

At that comment Bulma's face turned just as red as her husband's face, which had darkened at the comment as well.

"Goku!" Bulma yelled in embarrassment.

Goku laughed before continuing. **"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself."**

"G-Goku?" Krillin asked, uncertain his life long friend was actually talking to them again.

 **"Hey guys! It's me again!"**

"Well we can tell that much. What are you doing talking to us?" Yamcha asked him.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Bulma reiterated.

 **"The opposite actually. I've decided to come home guys."** Goku said, once again surprising everyone in the room.

"But why? I thought you said that it was best for the Earth if you stayed in Other World." Krillin stated.

 **"That's true, and I realize that, but I've done a lot of thinking and I saw how my death was effecting everyone...especially Gohan. I know the planet would be safer without me, but, right now, my family needs me. That's also why I've decided to tell you guys now. I also don't want any of you telling Gohan or Chi Chi about this."** Goku says.

"They have a right to know Goku. _Especially_ Gohan." Piccolo states with everyone's agreement.

 **"I know, but I don't want to get their hopes up just in case this plan of mine doesn't work. That will be devastating for them."** Goku explains to them.

"Maybe, but I think they still have a right to know." Tien stated with obvious hesitation.

 **"Look...I don't want to tell them, and I'm asking you to please not tell them either...please. I'm begging you. I feel bad going behind their backs, but if this plan does work I want to surprise them with my presence. It will be the ultimate gift I can give them."** Goku stated with a gentle softness to his voice.

Everyone contemplates what he said, letting his words fully sink in. Krillin is the first to speak.

"Well...alright...but what if this plan of yours completely backfires?" He asked.

 **"Then they'll never know, and I'll spare them that pain."** Goku replies.

"You're being stupid Goku." Piccolo growls.

"Don't you want to at least let them know you tried coming back for them? Don't they at least deserve that knowledge?" Yamcha asks.

 **"Look...I know how all of you feel about this, but my decision is final I hope you will respect my wishes. I'll be going to speak to elder Morri about summoning Porunga as soon as I'm done here."** Goku says with finality.

"I guess we don't really have a choice then?" Bulma asks.

 **"No. I'm going to do this. No backing down now."** Goku replies with a determined voice.

"Well, good luck Goku." Tien says with reluctance.

Goku smiles, even though they can't see it. **"Thank you guys. I've never felt happier in my life. Thank you. Good-bye friends. Hopefully I'll see you soon."** Goku says as he disconnects the link between them.

"Are you sure we can't just tell them? Goku doesn't have to know." Krillin says.

"Unfortunately, we do. As much as I want to tell them too, we just have to wait and see where things go from here. It's our best option for now." Bulma says while everyone else gives silent acceptance. "Well," Bulma starts up again, "why don't we finish setting up? I'm sure the cooks will be bringing down the food any minute now. All we have to do is wait for Gohan and Chi Chi." Bulma says in a cheery voice.

 **Other World**

"Are you sure this is still a good idea? Your friends are right. Don't you remember when we had that conversation about hybrids being potentially dangerous in emotional distress?" King Kai asked not completely sure about Goku's intentions anymore.

"Yes King Kai. I'm sure." He says with no pretense.

"Okay then. I'll try to get Morri on the line then. I think it's better if I talk to him first and explain everything that's going on before you ask for your favor." King Kai suggested.

Goku nods in confirmation. "Good idea."

King Kai then searched for Morri's ki as Goku waits patiently.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I'm really sorry...three month to update is really no excuse. There was just soooooo much I wanted to put into this chapter! I even had a really hard time ending it where I did...I didn't want to make it into 2 parts, but it looks like I might have to anyways...Sad day...but I've already started on the next part so hopefully it won't take too long for me to update...(ah who am I kidding?! I'll probably slack off...) Anyways, please let me know what you think! reading your comments really make me feel amazing; knowing that people out there support me and what not. Thank you and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Encounters and Decisions: Part 1**

 **The Son Home**

Pregnant? Did he just ask if she were PREGNANT? With wide eyes and a stunned look on her face, Chi Chi just...doesn't know what to say to her son at the moment. She was stunned into complete silence.

"Are you?" Gohan asked again, fearing the answer.

Chi Chi blinked her eyes and shook her head to get rid of her surprise. She then looked at her son again in confusion and said, "Gohan, honey, I'm not pregnant." She stated. "How could I be? You're father was gone for a year and a half, then decided to train for three years. And you know, as a little punishment I didn't give him any bedroom privileges." Chi Chi says as her son's face contorts into one of disgust.

"Mom...I did _not_ need to know that." Gohan says.

"So, there is absolutely no way that I could be pregnant Gohan." She says as she gets up from her kneeling position on the ground. She takes a deep breath and puts her hands on her hips. She looks up to the sky and sighs as Gohan just stares at her curiously. "Well, I suppose we missed our deadline of trying to get over there at a decent time." Chi Chi states while looking over to the car that sat in front of their little house. "Let's take flying Nimbus over to Bulma's." She says looking at Gohan expectantly.

Gohan, with eyes wide in surprise, replies, "Oh...well...o-okay. NIMBUS!" He yells into the sky. He looks back over to his mother and looks at her questioningly. "Mom, I'm surprised you want to take Nimbus...you never want to take Nimbus. What changed your mind?" Gohan asked his mother just as the little yellow cloud was pulling up in front of them.

"Well, I didn't know that we were going to be so late and I don't have a driver's licence." She replied.

"Oh that makes sen-"

"And I didn't want you to fly us there." Chi Chi quickly added.

Gohan's eyebrows furrow in confusion, and he felt a little hurt by the comment. "Why?" He asked.

"Because," Chi Chi responds as she climbs on Nimbus, "you go way faster than Nimbus does." _'And far more faster than I'm comfortable with.'_ She thought to herself.

"Oh...okay...I guess." Gohan replies. He gets ready to take flight as his mother gets herself comfortable.

"Oh and Gohan,"

"Yeah?"

"You will need to start learning about that stuff sooner or later."

Again confused, Gohan asks, "About what, mom?"

"About sex and things like that. You know it's not unusual for someone about your age to start getting curious." His mother stated nonchalantly with her eyes closed as she was freeing her hair from it's captive bun.

Gohan's face then turns a lovely shade of red as he starts to stammer incoherently. Chi Chi just smiles at this.

"Nimbus, take us to Bulma's house okay?" She asked the cloud sweetly as Gohan was still trying to get his blush under control. "Just not too fast alright? You know how I am with heights." She says as she pats the cloud lovingly.

It then takes off, leaving Gohan behind to gather himself. "This...is...I don't think I was prepared for today..." Gohan said as he sighed, his face beginning to turn back into a normal color.

Then again, his mother looked so much happier now that he was actually up and talking to her. He could tell how hurt she was when he didn't even talk to her, although she did her best to hide it. He looked to the ground for a second, then looked back up towards the sky where he last saw his mother in the distance. He smiled slightly. If she was happy that he was okay, then he would keep making her happy...even if it made her say weird things. He shook his head ans smiled a little more. It wasn't a big improvement, but it was definitely a start.

He then took off after his mother and Nimbus. It wouldn't take him too long to catch up with them.

 **Satan Mansion**

Videl Satan...ah yes...everyone who has met her has always said that she was a well behaved girl. Always smiling, always trying to find a way to help out, and always trying to put in her two cents. Her dazzling blue eyes could make anyone envious. Her long luscious raven black hair makes any boy want to ask her to be his girlfriend, despite how young she may be. Her ivory skin glistens in the sunlight, so beautifully that she could make even the most awe inspiring model jealous. And just by smiling, she can make anyone bend to her will. On top of all of these traits she was also tall, and had a strong build for a young female such as herself. Yes...Videl Satan was something else. She was also, unmistakably the only daughter of Hercule Satan.

That was exactly the reason why she wasn't allowed out in public by herself...which is also why Hercule Satan decided to volunteer to take his daughter to meet her friend at the mall; which he was regretting at the moment.

The moment they stepped outside the big mansion they now call home, reporters, fans, and spectators were outside waiting for them; to get a glimpse and maybe an inside story. After they finally made it through the barrage of reporters and fans, they ran for it. Not wanting to risk being seen, Mr. Satan took his daughter and ran into an ally way as to not be spotted.

"Dad...what are...you doing?" Videl asked between each breath, clearly out of breath as she was hastily sucking oxygen into her lungs.

"Well, Videl, we don't want to get spotted like that again; you want to have a good time with your friend right?" Hercule asked, slightly out of breath.

"I guess, but-" She was cut off by her father.

"Then we'll get disguises! My most clever plan yet." He exclaimed while laughing victoriously.

Videl just sighed as she looked at her father. She then facepalmed, and shook her head. "How are you going to do that? We're in an ally way! If we go out there they'll spot us quickly, if not right away! Didn't you think of that?" She asked him a bit more harshly than she meant to.

Hercule stopped laughing and thought about his daughters words. He pinched his chin in between his index finger and thumb as he contemplated her words. "I guess you're right sweet pea. I didn't think about that." He said as his shoulders slumped in thought, while his chin remained pinched between his index and thumb.

"Look...I have an idea." She said quietly as Mr. Satan leaned in closer to her.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Well," She started looking to see if anyone was listening before continuing.

 **Capsule Corps.**

Gohan and his mother landed with no problems. Gohan helped his mother off of Nimbus. "Thank you Nimbus!" Gohan called as the cloud flew off in the distance.

As it just so happened, most of the Z-gang was on the front lawn of the massive dome, and, as a result, saw the two land. To say that they were shocked was an understatement. Gohan had been pretty much unresponsive to everything and everyone, but now that same boy was standing in front of them with his mother who was looking more radiant than they had seen her in years.

At that moment, the grand hostess of the party came out the door and onto the front lawn. She was fuming. You could almost see the smoke coming from her ears. Her cheeks were flushed red and she had a huge scowl on her face. She screamed out as she threw her cell phone onto the well kept green grass. Behind her, Vegeta and Piccolo exited the huge dome shaped house as well.

"What's wrong now?" Krillin asked sarcastically.

Bulma turned to glare at the bald monk, who cowered away a little in fear. "I'm sorry that my anger is an inconvenience to you!" She yelled at him.

"Well, what's the matter Bulma?"

Bulma turned and was about to yell at her next victim when she caught Chi Chi's gaze. She straightened her back a little and her anger seemed to dissipate at the sight of her friend. "Chi Chi? Oh I'm glad you could make it." She then turned her gaze to the boy standing next to her. Her smile brightened at the sight. "Oh, and you too Gohan! You don't know how we've all missed you!" Bulma said as she quickly enveloped Gohan into a hug.

"Well it's not like I disappeared guys." Gohan responded trying to weasel his way out of her grasp.

 _'You did there for a little while.'_ Bulma thought to herself, while most of everyone else was thinking along the same lines. She then let him go to give his mother a hug. She breathed in and sighed, happy that Chi Chi had her son back. She squeezed her friend really tightly for a few seconds before releasing her. "So how have you been?" The blue haired genius asked Chi Chi.

"Well, it hasn't exactly been easy since we lost..." Chi Chi didn't have the heart to finish her sentence.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bulma noticed that Gohan directed his gaze toward the ground. All became silent and no one dared say anything. Bulma kept staring at Gohan while he continued to look at the ground, finding something very interesting about it. She wanted to address it, but she needed to do it when Gohan wasn't there. Then, an idea popped into her head.

"Gohan," She started, addressing him, "could you do me a favor?" She asked.

He tore his gaze form the ground and up towards her. "Yes. What is it?"

"I just got off the phone with one of the companies I have under contract, and they say that there's a problem with one of their machines. It's only missing one little part, but, you see, the part is only sold in one place in the entire country; it's very rare, and I would like to avoid trying to get it shipped over seas. I was wondering if you could go get it for me."

"Sure, I'll get it. Where is it?" He asked her.

"It's not that far from here, actually. It's in a small shop in Satan city mall in a store called _Simple._ I'll call the store manager and tell her that I'm going to send you to get it. The part number is 23002. Just tell her to charge my account. Can you remember that, or do you want me to write it down for you?" She asks.

"Yeah...you should write it down just in case." Gohan replies.

"Alright. Be right back." She says as she makes her way back into the massive dome shaped house. The rest of the group stayed outside in a bit of an awkward silence. Bulma then came back outside, folded piece of paper in hand, and walked up to Gohan. "There you go." She says. "Just remember to tell her to charge my account okay?" She says.

"Charge your account. Right. I'll be back soon." Gohan says as he waves to them. He then takes off into the sky.

After he left, Bulma turned to the rest of the group. She sighs at their questioning glance. She looks at each of their faces before speaking up. "Guys, I need to talk to you about Gohan."

 **With The Satans**

Hercule Satan was a man of many talents, and he was willing to do anything for his fans if given the chance. He was flamboyant, and was known for being a bit ridiculous. Nonetheless, Hercule Satan was loved and respected by all of his fans. Only...sometimes his fans could get annoying, which is why he was currently in an ally-way with his daughter. He looked at said daughter with an incredulous look. He blinked a couple times before addressing her.

"No way, Videl! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard...and that's coming from me. There's no way that could work. Nu-uh." He says while shaking his head.

She scowled at him before saying, "Well you never know until you try it!" She harshly says. "Plus," she says while crossing her arms, closing her eyes, and slightly turning away from him. "what other choice do we have?" She adds shrugging her shoulders a bit.

The Champ stared at his daughter for a moment then sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Okay...lets try it." He replies to her. Videl smiles triumphantly as she turns to him. She then uncrosses her arms...

 **Other World**

"Got him!" King Kai exclaims. Goku looks at the ground with much contemplation and a solemn look on his face. After taking a deep breath, he looks back up at King Kai.

"Wait King Kai." Goku says quietly. King Kai silently turns his head towards Goku. "I don't think going back to Earth is a good idea."

"What?!" King Kai exclaims while turning to face him. "Goku, are you crazy?! Did you hear anything of what we just told you?!"

"Yes, but the damage is already done. I think if I go back to Earth, it might make things worse." Goku said with a sad tone to his voice.

No one knew what to say. The room stayed silent while everyone thought on Goku's words.

"Goku-" King Kai started, but he was interrupted by the Grand Kai putting his hand up to stop him.

"Goku, we told you what might happen if you stay dead...but you've also brought up a possibility that I've never thought of. I still think it will be better if you go back to Earth, but I can't make you go. Ultimately, it's you decision; I do, however, caution you to think thoroughly about this." Grand Kai said as he waited for Goku to answer.

"I...I don't know." Goku stated.

The Grand Kai sat up a little straighter in his chair and took a breath. "I can see you need time to think on this. Why don't you get out of this stuffy office and sit in the fresh air while you think. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I'll be waiting for your answer."

Goku nodded his head, not knowing what to say, and headed outside. The Grand Kai watched him carefully as he exited the room. He let his eyes linger on the spot he last saw Goku. About a minute later, Pikkon interrupts the Kai's concentration.

"Is there...anything you want us to do sir?" Pikkon asked with utmost respect.

The Grand Kai pondered Pikkon's question for a moment before answering. "I want you to keep an eye on Goku. Saiyan's are not well known for their emotional stability when put under great stress. I think this whole thing has got that boy on the ropes. Just make sure he doesn't do anything irrational. You don't have to become his best friend or anything, just talk with him every once and a while; make sure he's not going to...do anything that might disrupt the peace we have here."

"Understood sir." Pikkon replied as he respectfully bowed.

"West Kai, Pikkon you're dismissed." Grand Kai said. He then turned to King Kai. "North Kai, after Goku makes his decision, whether he make the decision to stay or go, I want you to keep an eye on his boy. Make sure nothing changes in him either. It's just better if we keep these normally happy Saiyan's...happy." Grand Kai states.

"Of course sir. My pleasure." King Kai states, as he bows respectfully.

"Thank you. You're dismissed." He said with a wave of his hand.

He watched the Kai disappear down the giant hallway and to the front of the giant mansion. As he saw the Kai turn the corner and disappear, the Grand Kai could only hope that this situation didn't end up badly.

"If things do, I guess I could try and pull some strings with the Supreme Kai." Grand Kai says to himself as he scratches his cheek.

 **Earth (With the Satans...)**

They finally made it to the mall (mostly) unscathed. Videl had taken off her shirt and adjusted her bra so that it looked like a bikini top and tore her pants to make them look like short shorts. She put her raven hair up in a high ponytail and put her cat-eye sunglasses on to cover her eyes, and most of her face. And as a finish, Videl put on some black high-top converse. It was not unusual for girls, especially girls around Videl's age, to wear bikini tops and shorts out in public during the heat of summer. Of course, she wasn't very big in the bust area, but it was just enough to look normal. She walked confidently down the street, and no one even batted an eye at her. She had gotten to the mall unscathed. Hercule on the other hand...

Hercule had taken off his shirt and tore his pants as well, making them come up to his knees. He put his sunglasses on and a giant sagging beanie on his head to cover his infamous afro. To top it all off, he was wearing a pair of black flip flops and wore a thin white half jacket to cover his arms. Of course, the jacket had been Videl's, so it didn't really fit. It had been a jacket that he bought her last year, and it was very loose fitting...on Videl that is. They had to tear off the sleeves at the shoulders, and then slide them back on his arms to cover them as best they could. The sleeves barely fit, and he could only pull them up to his elbows. Even then the sleeves looked about ready to rip.

He walked down the street, careful not to swing his arms to much or risk ripping the sleeves, and got very many odd glances. Not to mention he felt ridiculous and very embarrassed. You could say that his pride was a bit damaged by the little walk, but, in better news, he had finally made it to the mall. The only bad thing was he could not take off his ridiculous disguise for fear of getting recognized. So, as they were walking down the gigantic halls of the mall he let his pride get a bit more damaged. It was all for his precious daughter after all! He would do anything for his little angel!

Just then, Videl started to run ahead of him. Hercule got a bit worried, and flustered, until he looked ahead in the direction his daughter had taken off to. Just a few meters in front of them were Videl's little friend and her mother. Oh! And did I forget to mention that Hercule has a little bit of a school-girl crush on said mother of one?

Videl and Erasa had been friends since childhood, and Erasa would come over to their house very often and vise-versa. That meant that he spent a lot of time talking with Erasa's mother. The girls were still young after all, they needed to be looked after. After Videl's mother had left, there was definitely a lot of support coming from Erasa and her mother. They even visited more frequently after that. That is when Hercule had started getting a little crush on Erasa's mother. She herself had marital problems.

Erasa's parents had split almost a year before Videl's mother and father. Of course, Videl and Hercule were there for moral support and they greedily accepted it. Videl and Erasa's relationship developed, grew, and strengthened within that time. They really were best friends and because of that, their parents were best Friends.

Hercule and Erasa's mother had gotten to talk a lot over the time period of Videl and Erasa's friendship. That made their relationship develop just as much as their daughters had. And, after a while, Hercule noticed that Erasa's mother too had gained a small crush on the man. Of course, neither acted on their feelings in fear of ruining their daughters relationship with each other.

Videl ran up to her best blonde friend and enveloped her in a hug, which Erasa returned gratefully. After a minute they pulled away from each other, and gave a greeting.

"Hey Erasa! Long time no see!" Videl exclaimed while giving her friend a big smile.

"It's been a little too long!" Erasa chirped, returning the smile.

They then were interrupted by a small, quiet giggle, but they caught it nonetheless. They both turned their attention to Erasa's mother whose eyes were closed and with a hand was covering her mouth trying to keep any more giggles from escaping. She then opened her eyes, and turned her gaze back to the reason she started giggling in the first place. She removed her hand from her mouth and tilted her head slightly with an amused smile upon her lips.

She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Hercule...is that you?"

Turning a bit red in the face, and as the girls snickered and then returned to their conversation, he addressed her, "...yes..." He replied a bit hesitantly.

She giggled again and then looked him up and down. As she did this, Hercule's face became one shade darker. After a moment, she stopped, turned to the two girls, and handed Erasa her cell phone. "You girls are free to do what you want for a while. If you have any problems, call Hercule and we'll come to you. Okay?" The girls nodded and went of their way.

Hercule stared after them with a bewildered look on his face. He then turned his attention to the woman standing in front of him. "Delilah! What did you do that for!" He asked incredulously.

Delilah rolled her lime green eyes and flipped her long braided blonde hair to let it rest on her back. She inhaled and sighed before responding. "Hercule, our girls are growing up and, as much as you may not like it, they need to start going into the world on their own; they need to start finding out who they are as people...as girls!" She paused, looking him up and down again before continuing. "Plus...you _need_ new clothes. Honestly, who dressed you this morning? Your daughter?"

Hercule sighed and slumped his shoulders. "You have no idea." He then sighed again.

"Well," Delilah started, taking Hercule's arm in her own. "that's okay. Lets get you fixed up." She paused as they started walking. "Oh, and I can tell that Videl is becoming a fine young woman. Her figure is just amazing!"

"WHAT?! WHAT FIGURE?! SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FIGURE!"

Delilah only giggled in response.

 **Capsule Corps.**

"What is it? What about Gohan?" Krillin asked.

Bulma looked to the perfectly cut green grass below her, as if staring at it would deter the seriousness of what she was about to say. She exhaled deeply before looking back up to meet everyone's curious gaze. She took the time to look at each of them before addressing Krillin's question. "Well...this is going to be hard for me to say." She breathed. "It may not seem like it, but Gohan...he...without an actual psych test I can only assume, but-"

"Wait...psych test? What are you talking about Bulma?" Yamcha asked cautiously.

"Yeah. What's the meaning of this?" Tien reiterated.

At these questions, the gaze of both Vegeta and Piccolo, who were only listening intently before, shifted over to Bulma with a hardening stare. Bulma only swallowed hard in response. She took a calming breath to collect her thoughts before addressing them.

"Look...you're just going to have to let me explain myself. And that means no interrupting me!" She exclaimed before taking another calming breath and continuing. "It may not look like it right now, but I believe that Gohan is at risk of falling into a severe depression."

Despite her command, Krillin interrupted her anyways. "He was already in a severe depression! Or did you miss the whole three days he stayed laying in bed, ignoring everyone?" He asked sarcastically. "That's the whole reason you're throwing this party isn't it?"

"I already told you that I would explain myself. STOP INTERRUPTING!" She yelled. "I understand that he was already severely depressed. I'm sure that if it weren't for Piccolo and Vegeta that he would still be severely depressed, and it doesn't get better in his teenage years. What I'm trying to say about all of this is that we need to make sure he doesn't fall back into his revere...we need to keep him active. We need to give him reasons to keep going...to keep moving...to keep getting up in the morning. We have to include him in as many activities as possible. I also don't think it would be a bad idea to start up his training again." Bulma stated.

"I wouldn't have a problem with that. The kid needs to keep up training." Piccolo stated.

"NO! I will NOT allow my baby to fight with that green monster! I don't want my son to end up just like his father!" Chi Chi cried out.

Bulma gave a pained look before consoling her. She walked up to her friend and put her hand on her shoulder. "Lets go inside Chi Chi. Lets talk about it over a nice cup of tea." She said as she gently pulled her friend into the gigantic dome shaped building of the Briefs' private quarters. When she opened the door, and led Chi Chi inside, she turned to them. "Just wait for Gohan out here okay? I need to talk to Chi Chi alone. If he shows up before we're done, just get the party started okay?" She stated before she followed Chi Chi inside and shut the door behind her.

 **With Gohan**

He looked down at the small yellow square piece of paper with everything he needed to know on it. When he was satisfied he had everything he needed, he looked back up to the path ahead of him. It was sometimes hard to see when his hair flapped in front of his face from time to time because of the wind, but he usually paid it no mind. He had a mission! He could not disappoint his Godmother!

He then landed in front of one of the many entrances of Satan City mall.

Then again...it wouldn't hurt if he had a look around. He smiled at the massive amounts of people and stores around. He looked again at the yellow piece of paper before looking for a directory. As he spotted one, he passes a man who looked absolutely ridiculous, and a very beautiful blonde woman.

"WHAT?! WHAT FIGURE?! SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FIGURE!"

The man had exclaimed as Gohan walked by the duo. He heard the woman giggle at his comment. "Funny...that man sounded familiar." Gohan said to himself as he turned his attention back to the paper in his hand. The store was called _Simple_. All he needed to do was find the store number to see what floor it was on, then he would do what Bulma had asked. "Charge her account...charge her account...need to remember that." Gohan mumbled as he looked over the directory. There it was: #1026. It was going to be on the first floor...exactly where on the first floor was not known. Oh well. He'd just have to look.

As Gohan walked by, he caught a glance at the insides of the stores and the people within. Most of what he saw were just blurred colors of yellows, blues, blacks, and the occasional pink. Gohan though wasn't paying much attention to that...mostly just looking for store names. Just as he was about to find another directory, he finally spotted it.

The store's name was designed simple; it was white and the letters were in cursive, and there were gears surrounding it. That made it easy to spot. The inside, however, was not all that different. The store was quite large, the walls a dark musty yellow color covered by many shelves that held many machine parts. In the far left corner there was actually an old fashioned red car in pristine condition sitting there with many people around admiring it. The other customers were scattered around the shop looking at engineering parts and such, some looking at transmissions and what not. Gohan looked around for another second before directing his attention to the far right corner of the shop where a large wooden desk sat. Gohan walked up to the clerk standing behind the desk as she greeted him.

"Hello there! Well, I've never had such a young customer before! Welcome! My name is Cindy. What can I do ya in for?" Cindy said to him as she winked.

"Well, actually I'm here to pick something up for a Bulma Briefs."

"Ah yes! She told me you were coming! What was that part number again?" She asked.

Gohan looked down to the paper and replied, "It's 23002."

"Alright! Be right back." She said while pointing an index finger in the air. "Lets look at those shelves first." The woman mumbled to herself.

Getting a good look at her, Gohan could tell that she had no problems getting anyone to like her. From what he could tell she had a great personality, and she wasn't all that bad on the eyes. Cindy had chocolate brown eyes, ivory skin and long maroon hair that flowed down her back to her waist. She was wearing a loose fitting pair of overalls, with the pant-legs rolled up to about mid-thigh, dark brown hiking boots, and a black sports bra underneath. She was also wearing a pair of black goggles on the top of her head.

(AN: Only the top part of her overalls were loose fitting...I didn't know how to put that in there so...back to the story!)

Cindy bit the bottom of her lip as she searched the shelves. Once she was done searching one section, she moved on to the next set of shelves, but to no avail. She finally searched all of the shelves before she came to stand next to him. Cindy leaned on the wooden desk as sighed and looked at him.

"I wanted to check the shelves out here before I checked the shelves in the back...there's a lot more of them back there...I was hoping I'd find one out here, but of course Mrs. Briefs had to choose one of the most rare machine parts in the world." She said as she sighed again, venting her mock frustration out on him before pushing herself up and saying, "Well, I guess I'll be right back. Just hang around until I find it, kay?" She stated as she walked away.

Gohan turned around and leaned his back against the front of the desk, mostly supporting himself by his arms. It was then he was able to get another good look at the store.

At the corner adjacent to the red car, there was a black truck; another older model. It was nice and clean, sparkling even, but no one was over there looking at it. He wondered why that was the case. Gohan shifted his eyes to the front of the store. The door frame was made with steel, an aluminum color, that looked like it had been melded by someone a little inexperienced. The edges of a lot of the nuts and bolts lining the frame were melted into the actual door frame and were a little brown along the melding lines, although he suspected that the nuts and bolts were just petty decorations to make the front of the store a little interesting. He then looked to the top of the door frame to see a picture of a small family there.

The woman in the photo, he assumed, was Cindy, and that the two little boys and the man were her husband and children. The older boy couldn't have been more than about 4 years old and the youngest not very old at all, and both parents looked to be in their late 20's or early 30's. _'Interesting...I wonder if anyone else has really noticed that picture.'_ Gohan wondered to himself. The picture was taken in black and white, which gave a nice reminiscent feeling about it. The family of four were standing in front of a very old model of a black Chevy Impala. The car looked brand new, as it was glistening in the sunlight, blocking a little of the camera's view of most of the background. It was all in all a nice picture of the family.

"It's a good photo isn't it?"

Gohan looked to his right to find that Cindy was standing next to him both smiling fondly and smiling sadly at the picture. Gohan also found that he had subconsciously walked up to the front of the store to look at the photo. He was put back in the moment by a sudden intake of breath of Cindy. She had her hands on her hips as she continued to look at the photo.

"It's a very nice photo. I like it." Gohan finally replied.

She turned to him and smiled, this time though he could tell that it was very sad. "Yes, but photos can be deceiving."

"Can I ask why you say that?" Gohan asked cautiously.

Ignoring him for the moment, Cindy turned around and headed for the desk again motioning for him to follow. As they walked, she started to explain.

"Well, our family was pretty happy back then. After our two boys were born though, my husband, Pat, was let go from his job. It was hard. He was the only one bringing in income to the household; he believed it was, and could only be, his job to support us on the financial part of our marriage. He refused to let me work. We used the savings that we had stored up while he looked for a job to support ourselves." She paused as they came upon the desk.

Cindy took the mechanical part and rung it up for him. "Did you want to charge it to Mrs. Briefs account?" She asked.

"Yes please." Gohan replied.

She took off her gloves as she finished the transaction, Cindy continued with her story. "Pat never found a steady job; always working jobs that no one else wanted, like pest control. He became stressed and bitter as our boys grew older. He became an alcoholic, and it forced me to try and find a job." She paused again as she put the part in a plastic zip-lock bag. "I started to work at a local bar while I went to school for my engineering degree. I went to school during the day, and worked at night. I barely slept, and had almost no time for my family. I became very depressed, but I knew that it would all turn out okay in the end...but...while I was doing these things, I didn't know what Pat was doing to our children." Cindy paused again with an angry look on her face.

She slid the part over to Gohan on the other side of the desk. Cindy looked down to her hands as if they were the most interesting thing at the moment. Curious, Gohan interrupted her.

"What happened?" He asked as he put one of his hands on the top of the bag. Cindy looked up to him and instantly they locked eyes. She took a breath before continuing.

"It would seem that behind the scenes, Pat was abusing my boys." She paused again as she felt a lump farm in her throat. She swallowed hard before continuing. "I didn't know any of this until I found a bruise on my oldest son's face. When I asked what had happened, he refused to say anything. He was 14 years old at the time, and my youngest 11. Pat only hit them when he was drunk, and since he's an alcoholic, that was pretty often. I had no idea any of that was happening." Cindy paused once again and licked her lips as she looked back down to her hands.

After about a minute, she found the courage to continue. "A few months later, Pat started to abuse me as well. He became so angry and selfish...it made me so miserable. About 2 months after my oldest turned 15, he killed himself." With tears forming in her eyes, she trekked on with her story. "After his funeral, I divorced Pat and took my youngest son and we moved here. When I was done with schooling, I bought out this little place and started my business. My son was 12. When he turned old enough to go off to college, he said that he wanted to leave a little piece of him behind so that I would have a piece of him with me while he was gone." In her tear filled eyes, she managed to chuckle.

Cindy pointed at the door frame and said, "He melded nuts and bolts to the door frame." She laughed as she remembered him doing this little action as if it were yesterday. "He was never one for mechanics, not like me, but he was really skilled in the arts. He mostly painted and sculpted." Pausing for the millionth time in the span of the conversation she turned her gaze towards Gohan. She looked him up and down before speaking again.

"A few weeks before he was supposed to graduate, he died in a car crash. The diver of a semi truck fell asleep at the wheel and crossed over the double yellow lines in the mountains. It was a head-on collision. There was no way he could have survived; he died on impact." She stopped and walked to the side of the desk that Gohan was at. She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled sadly at him as more tears formed in her eyes. She shut them to keep the tears from falling, but was failing at doing so. Cindy took a deep breath before opening her eyes and looking Gohan directly in the eyes. She bit her top lip before she spoke.

"It's funny. You remind me of him a little bit...my son I mean." Cindy swallowed hard before she looked at him expectantly. When his eyes had shown no denial, she engulfed him in a tight hug. Gohan returned it, feeling no hesitation. When Cindy had regained some of herself, she slowly let go of Gohan, but did not let her hands fall from his shoulders. Gohan looked to the ground as if ashamed.

"I'm sorry I brought up all of those painful memories, but, if it helps any, I know what it's like to lose someone you love. Very recently I lost my father." Gohan said while still looking at the floor.

"Was he a good man?" She asked quietly.

"Yes. He was a very good man." Gohan replied with sadness lacing his voice.

Cindy took a deep breath, and it instantly felt like a great weight was lifted off of her chest. She smiled at him even though he was not looking at her. She patted his shoulders and said, "I'm not a very good host am I?" At her voice, Gohan looks up at her. "Can I get you anything else my dear boy? Do you have any questions?" She asked.

"No, but I do have a question." He said.

"What is it?" Cindy prompted.

"Why did you tell me all of this?"

She smiled and replied, "Because you asked. In my store, all one has to do to get information is ask. You my friend asked, and I simply gave an answer." She said while winking.

Gohan smiled at her. "Your answer was all but simple, but I enjoyed it anyways."

She chuckled and then stared at him curiously. "By the way," Cindy started. "I don't think I ever caught your name." She stated.

"Gohan. It's Gohan." Gohan replied while he stuck out his hand.

Returning the smile she took his hand in hers and said, "Well Gohan, my young customer, if you may need any assistance with anything you are always welcome back in my store." She stated with a nod of her head.

"I'll be sure to come back." Gohan said as he let go of her hand and started heading towards the front door of the simplistic store.

"Wait Gohan?" Cindy called after him.

Gohan turned around to face her as she had a questioning glance on her face.

"Is it okay if I ask you something?" At his nod she continues, "How is it that you even know Mrs. Briefs?"

"Oh, that's easy, my dad and her were very good friends from when they were young. My father eventually asked her if she would become my God mother, and to take me in if anything were to happen to him and my mother. She greedily accepted. So, I'm her God son. That's how I know her. I've known her since I was very young, and I think I've grown on her a lot too." He replied as he winked an turned around to exit the store. She smiled back at him as she watched his retreating form.

Unnoticed by all in the store, were two men who were facing the black truck. With backs to Gohan and Cindy, they were able to listen in on their conversation without getting caught. The two men looked at each other and smiled.

"Did you hear that Lou? He's in the inner circle of the Briefs. Do you know what this means?!"

"Yes...we'll be able to retire by the age of 45." Lou said while smirking evilly.

"Right! We could get a hell of a lot more money for the kid than we ever could for this stupid car."

"I know that Stew, but we have to do this right or everything will fall through, and we'll get arrested." Lou stated.

"Nah...they won't catch you Lou. They never have and never will." Stated Stew.

"Yes, but you forget! Mr. Satan's daughter is starting out as a Jr officer now. I heard she's been trained by her father in martial arts her whole life. She's our main concern. If we get caught by her, it's all over. We have to do this as diligently as possible." Lou replied while he got up in Stews face.

"Okay, but how do you suppose we catch him boss?" Stew asked.

Lou looked to the entrance of the store, and saw Gohan standing there looking left and right, not sure which direction he was going to go, and then looked back to Stew. "We'll follow him...watch him...and remember anything that we might find to be a nuisance to us in the future." Lou said as he looked back to the door. This time Gohan was not there. "Lets go! Our target is on the move!" Lou shouted in a loud whisper.

As they made their way out of the shop, the shopkeepers eyes followed them out the door suspiciously.

"Cindy! Could I talk to you a minute?!" Someone called from across the shop.

"Coming!" She called back.

When the odd men left, she inhaled sharply and tried to shake off her bad feeling about the them and went back to work.

 **Other World**

Goku was sitting in the lotus position on the green grass of the Grand Kai's planet. With the shade of the tall tree he was sitting under, Goku seemed to be very comfortable. His eyes were the barrier between the world and his mind, but, in this case, it would seem that Goku was having a bit of a hard time concentrating. At the sound of crunching grass beneath feet, Goku peaked open one of his eyes and looked to the right. He watched as Pikkon sat next to him, also taking up a lotus position, and started meditating. Goku watched him curiously for a few more seconds before going back to his own meditation.

For the longest time neither warrior said anything to the other, both opting to sit silently in meditation. Pikkon then cracked his eyes half way open and looked over to Goku.

"Would you care for a spar, Goku? It could help clear your head." Pikkon said.

Goku opened his eyes and looked over to Pikkon before addressing him. "I don't know Pikkon. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm just so...lost." Goku replied as he slacked his posture and slumped his shoulders.

Pikkon stared at him, never changing position, and took a deep breath. Pikkon turned his gaze in front of him for a moment, inspecting the area. He then closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "I think the reason you _think_ you are lost is because you're expecting to find the right answer to solve your problem. Reality is funny that way I think. The world is divided into many problems, and many solutions. Some are clear and concise, and some are not." Letting his words sink in for a minute, Pikkon paused and opened his eyes, once again, focusing on the beautiful blooming red flowers no too far from where they were sitting. "Sometimes, Goku, things aren't as clear as you want them to be. Things aren't always black and white. They can also be grey; that small section in between black and white, where, sometimes, the rules of reality don't apply. In this area, things don't always make sense; that's why you think you are lost. You're expecting a clear cut answer, but your situation is very grey; anything can happen.

"As fighters, we tend to think everything through to the tiniest detail. We know more than most people that things don't always turn out for the better. That's why you decided to stay dead, right? Because you feared that if you went back that more bad things would happen?" At Goku's nod, Pikkon continued. "That's where you're wrong. The universe will continue without you; the Earth will still rotate around the sun, the seasons will continue to move forward, and days will pass by. The cosmos can live without its fighters to protect it. You, Goku, are torn between doing what's right, and preventing doing something wrong. By staying dead, you did not affect the Earth in any way; the day will come when the Earth perish, with or without you. You're family will eventually do the same; with or without you." Pikkon paused and stood up. He stretched his back and took a deep breath. "Sometimes there is no right or wrong answer. Only the consequences following our decisions."

With that, Pikkon walked away as Goku stared at his retreating form with his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and curiosity. The thing Pikkon didn't miss, however, was the amount of determination radiating off of Goku's ki.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there guys! It's been practically a year since I last updated and I'm terribly sorry...I've been going through some stuff and it hasn't been easy, and I haven't found much time to write. I'm starting to plan out the next chapter and will be starting it soon. I thank you for your patience, and hope you'll stay for the ride! Enjoy this chapter.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Encounters and Decisions: Part 2**

 **On Earth, with Gohan**

As Gohan exited the simplistic, yet interesting, store and looked at the time. "It's only 1:45. I'm sure it would be okay if I wandered the mall a little; I don't think they would care." With that, he turned right and continued walking further into the giant mall. He walked a bit slowly to get a good look at each of the stores that might be of interest to him. After a few minutes of walking, he spotted a sports store. _'Might as well go look. It may have some interesting stuff.'_ Gohan thought to himself.

He trekked into the store. It was quite massive. It was organized by sport, and each sport was also organized by the color of various jerseys. It was a quite a sight to see. It intrigued Gohan and he walked deeper into the store. They had pretty much every sport known to mankind; Soccer, football, basketball, rugby, golf, tennis, volleyball, softball, baseball, and various other sports that Gohan hadn't even heard about before. As he walked towards the back of the store, Gohan was mesmerized by the spots and colors. He then saw something that caught his eye.

To the right of him, there was a whole section for martial arts. He stood in his spot, amazed at how many things were displayed. He walked into the martial arts section, amazed. Gohan walked even slower than he did before. There was so much to take in. There were martial arts relics from hundreds of years ago, only for show of course. This store was more like a museum than anything else. Many posters and pictures describing events and people were posted on the wall beside its respective prized possession of which was inside protective glass boxes that were bolted to the wall. Then Gohan came upon an item that made him freeze in his spot and stare on in amazement.

 **With Delilah and Hercule**

The very attractive blonde woman and funny looking man made their way over to the escalators in almost complete silence. Almost. Said blonde was practically choking on her giggles the whole way while said funny looking man was covering his face in embarrassment the whole time. After their ride on the escalator was up, the two made their way over to a directory.

"You don't know where you're going?" Hercule asked his attractive blonde companion as she bent over to look at the small numbers.

She turned her head to look over her shoulder at the man and replied, "And you do?"

"Well...I mean...I just figured..." The man fumbled with his words and he tried to think of a reply.

Delilah turned back to the directory with a triumphant smile on her face. She searched the whole directory before finally spotting where she thought would be a good place to go. Delilah turned to her companion in question and grabbed his arm again. "This way." She said as she started to drag him down the long corridor of colors and through the crowds of people.

 **With Videl and Erasa**

Videl was sitting on a chair, more like a mini couch, with her chin in her hand and legs crossed waiting for her blonde companion. A clerk tried to walk up to her for about the millionth time since she'd been there, and Videl gave her a glare that could freeze over Hell itself. The clerk slowly walked away with a terrified look on her face and said, "Just let me know if you or your friend need anything." She then nervously laughed and strolled back to the counter at the front of the store.

Videl then turned her gaze to the pink carpet. She narrowed her eyes at it, blaming it for her negative mood. _'Stupid pink floor.'_ She then turned her gaze to the mini couch she was sitting on. It had hot pink fur like material on it and, while it was quite comfortable, it irritated the raven haired girl to no end. _'Stupid pink couch.'_ With that thought, she ripped off some of the hot pink fur and threw it to the ground. She then looked up and around her. _'Stupid pink walls. Stupid pink dressing rooms! Stupid pink clothes! Stupid pink EVERYTHING!'_ Videl mentally ranted.

It was true; just about everything in that store was pink, with the exception of some splots of purple here and there. Videl was not one to dress up...let alone in anything pink, but she was here supporting her friend of whom she'd do anything for. Despite being a girl herself, Videl was definitely not one for girly things. Videl pictured the color pink as one of the most girlish colors she had ever lain her eyes upon, and, because of that, she absolutely despised the color pink. On the other hand, it was Erasa's favorite color.

Videl turned her attention towards the sound of the dressing room door opening...only to find out it was not her friend coming out. With an angry grunt, Videl stood up and decided to look at the purple things...however ugly they may seem. Just as she started roaming the last of the purple section, Erasa popped her head out of the dressing room door and motioned for her to come over. Videl rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. _'Thank God...'_ Videl then strolled over to the fitting rooms.

Upon arriving at the door, Videl asked her blonde friend, "Are you done yet 'Rase? It feels like we've been here for hours!"

"I need your help with something! come in here!" Erasa whispered harshly.

With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Videl complied. The dressing room was a bit more spacious than she had first expected. It was something you might see in a bridal shop dressing room. It had three mirrors, one in front, on the left, and on the right. The carpet was, surprisingly, white, with a soft white fur coating the top; a lot like the pink couch she had been sitting on. Erasa stood in front of the mirror, contemplating her reflection.

Erasa had on a hot pink tank top with black flower patterns on the front, with a pair of purple pastel colored skinny jeans. She had one hand on her hip, and the other hanging limply by her side. She twisted slightly to each side examining herself in the mirror. With eyebrows furrowed, and biting her bottom lip, she turned to her friend. "What do you think?"

Videl took in her appearance before replying. "I like the jeans on you, but I don't know about that shirt." She replied with her chin pinched between her index and thumb.

Erasa gave her a dirty look and shifted her weight, favoring her right leg. "Is that because you don't like the color pink?"

Videl took a deep breath and replied, "Well, you're right...I don't like the color pink, but I genuinely believe that that colored shirt would be great with a pair of plan old blue jeans." Videl looked at her again. "Actually, the shirt would look good with just about anything other than those purple pair of jeans."

With this comment, Erasa's face brightened and a small smile graced her face. "You think?" Videl nodded to her. "Oh thank you Videl!" She exclaimed hugging the raven haired girl in front of her. Videl awkwardly returned the hug. After they pulled away, Erasa said, "You know Videl, with that great advice you gave me, maybe you could be successful in the fashion industry."

Videl rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Tch, yeah right. It's not really my thing."

Erasa giggled. "Well, let me get changed and pay for these things so we can go." Erasa said. As Videl turned to leave, she added, "Oh, and Videl, we should find you some new clothes too. Can't have all of those guys oogling you all the time." She said and winked.

This got the desired effect, as Videl's face became a nice shade of pink. Videl closed her eyes and replied, "Yeah...sure...whatever." She then closed the door behind her.

 **With Delilah and Hercule**

The attractive blonde woman sat and waited for her companion to finish dressing. As soon as the duo entered the pristine store, a man immediately started showing them around **and** insisted that he pay for anything that Hercule needed. The man had been very perceptive. No one else had been able to figure out that it was Hercule underneath all of that goofy clothing.

Delilah sighed out of impatience. _'How long does it take to try on one outfit? And I thought I was bad...'_ She hung her head out of boredom. As soon as her head went down, the sound of a door opening was heard and her head instantly shot up again. In front of her stood Hercule, no longer looking like a bizarre hoodlum.

He had on a plain white v-neck t-shirt, with a light black jacket, a pair of black form fitting jeans, and a pair of black vans. The girls were gonna fall hard, to say the least.

Delilah stood up, happy to finally be done, and walked up to him. "So...where do you wanna go next?" She asked as she looped her arm with his and gave him a sly smile. Hercule pinched his chin between his index and thumb while he thought. Delilah gasped as her mood brightened and she stood up straight. "I know!" She exclaimed, "We can go to the Dress Barn! There's really nothing there in my size, but I always enjoy looking at a good piece of fabric." She then dragged him out of their current store, and over, again, to the directory.

 **With Videl and Erasa**

Videl was standing in front of a mirror with some potential merchandise on her body. She wore white form fitting jeans, a black tank top, and a light black sweater. She took the sides of the sweater and tugged on it, making it snug against her neck. She then turned her body around to see how it all looked. After a few turns, she sighed and started taking off the clothes. "I like the jeans, and the shirt, but it doesn't really _look_ like me." She said to herself. As she was peeling off her clothes, Erasa showed to her dressing room door and dropped some more clothes in there for Videl to try on. Videl sighed once again. She lifted some of the articles off of the ground and looked at it. She then looked at the rest of the things that Erasa had dropped off. Her shoulders slumped a bit. It was now her turn to shop and purchase merchandise.

About 20 minutes later, Videl was in line to purchase her items. She settled on the white form fitting jeans, two pairs of light blue form fitting jeans, a black tank top, and three band tee-shirts. ( AN: If you would like to know, she got Bring Me The Horizon, A Day To Remember, and The Offspring tees because they are three of my many favorite bands.) _'We'll have to come back so I can get more band tees...I wouldn't mind that too much. Maybe dad will bring me here sometime.'_ Videl thought as she moved ahead in line. When it was finally her turn, she set her clothes on the counter, and waited for the clerk to acknowledge her.

The clerk had red hair, blue eyes, pale skin, freckles on her face, and her septum was pierced. Without looking at Videl, she greeted them, "Hello, did you find everything you were looking for?" She then looked up, and at her two visitors. She blinked in surprise.

Not very many people knew who Videl Satan was; not many people knew what she looked like. This certain store clerk, however, did, and was surprised to see the young Satan in her store. The clerk leaned forward a little over the counter, and blinked again. She then leaned back, and gave a little chuckle. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm so surprised to see you here. You're just like any other person; you like to go out. Anyways, did you find everything you were looking for?" She asked again. With Videl's nod, the cashier checked her out, and the girls were on their way again.

 **Other World**

"Ah...what a nice, beautiful day." King Kai stated. He took a deep breath and sighed. "A beautiful day indeed." King Kai then, without moving his head, shifted his eyes over to Goku who had been sitting under the same tree for three days. Contemplating whether to go over to him or to stay where he was, the decision was soon made for him as Goku stood and made his way over to the Kai. Snapping his eyes forward again, King Kai awaited his arrival.

"Hey King Kai." Goku stated as he gave a little wave.

"Oh, Goku! I didn't see you there." King Kai stated with pretense. "What do you need?" He asked politely.

"Well," Goku started while putting his hand on the back of his head. "I was wondering if you would continue to train me." He stated hesitantly.

"So you've decided to stay dead then?" King Kai asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, and no." Goku stated.

"Yes...and no...?"

"I've got it all worked out in my head. I want you to train me here, for four years; it won't just be you that I get fighting experience from though. I could get it from Pikkon, and Olibu, and some of the other fighters that are here. After four years, I want to head home. I miss my family a lot and I want to be home with them as soon as possible." Goku said.

King Kai took a minute to absorb all of this information. He thought about it before responding. "If your only goal is to become stronger, then couldn't you use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"

"No. One can only use the time chamber twice in a lifetime. Plus, my 48 hours of usage are almost up." Goku replied.

"You could use the Dragon Balls and ask Shenron to extend the amount of time, or to get rid of the time limit all together." King Kai pointed out.

"I've thought about that too, King Kai. If we do use the dragon balls, there are two outcomes; one, Shenron can't grant the wish because it could cause some sort of dimension shift or something like that, and, two, if he were able to grant the wish with no repercussions, I doubt Chi Chi will want me training at least every other day, plus, if I could go in there as many times as I want, my life span would run out! I'd be in there for way too long all the time." Goku explained.

"Hm..." King Kai hummed as he pinched his chin between his index and thumb, trying to think of any other way to get his pupil home sooner. Then, his face lit up into a smile, he gasped, and snapped his fingers. "I've got it!"

Goku looked at his quizzically.

"You can ask Bulma for one of her gravity chambers! You know, the one Vegeta uses all the time to train. Or! You could just train with Vegeta! It works out perfectly! Then you wouldn't have to stay here!" King Kai excitedly exclaimed.

Goku put his hand on his chin in thought. "You know King Kai, I actually hadn't thought of that." As Goku paused, King Kai's face lit up even more. "But, now that I think about it," Goku paused again, keeping the waiting Kai in suspense. "I don't think it would work out." As Goku finished his thought, King Kai's face instantly dropped.

"What do you mean you think it won't work out?" He asked the Saiyan with a defeated tone.

"Well," Goku started while he put his hand back on his chin again as he tried to explain his thinking. "I do see how it could work out, but there are just too many cons as to using Vegeta as a training partner. One, Vegeta would want to train all the time; as much as I like training, I can't do it as often as he does. It would deter my rest regimen and therefore, my body would get too exhausted and there wouldn't be enough time for my full strength to recover. While Vegeta is a strong opponent, and from the rare occasions I've actually sparred with him, he's a decent fighter and no doubt a great tactician, but he gets too angry too fast and tries to win while his emotions have taken control; that's not beneficial to anyone. He acts that way because of our past rivalry. For him, as the prince of Saiyans, getting beaten by 'a third class clown' is something he may never get over. That fact will always get in the way of our training. That's one of the main reasons I don't plan on training with Vegeta anytime soon." Goku stated. "Like I've said, I've decided I want to stay here for a while."

As he turned to leave, King Kai asked? "And what about your son?" Goku stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn back around to face the kai. "You said you missed your family, and your son is so much stronger than you now. Wouldn't you like to train with him? That would be the perfect solution. You wouldn't have to stay here, and you won't miss your family because you'll be with them. It works out perfectly. What do you think?" The Kai stated calmly and collectively.

Without turning to him, Goku inhaled deeply and sighed. He stared at the grass and took a few moments of silence. After about a minute, the deity got a bit worried and was about to say something when Goku spoke up. "I've made my decision; I'm staying and that's final." He then turned to leave once again, walking abnormally slow.

King Kai straightened himself with disbelief. He shook his head and huffed. He then exhaled deeply and slumped his shoulders. "Why? Just...at least tell me why."

Goku responds without stopping, "It's because I've already said goodbye; and I don't know if I'm capable of ever doing it again."

King Kai watched Goku walk off into the distance, and continued to watch him walk until he could not see Goku anymore. He turned his head to the sky, and stood there, watching the pinks and oranges meld together. "I hope the consequences aren't too dastardly." King Kai sighed and he looked to the direction of which Goku had walked off. "I can only hope..."


End file.
